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Taste masters: Nicole Reimers, Rockpool (fish), Sydney

Nicole Reimers’ worldly view of wine was formed after she left her family vineyard near Bendigo to undertake an extensive trip through France, Italy and Spain. Her experiences have stood her in good stead during a four-year stint at Melbourne’s legendary hedonistic hideaway, the Supper Club. Enticed by one of Australia’s biggest names, she moved north and now oversees the excellent wine list at Neil Perry’s refocused and rejuvenated Rockpool (fish).

What emerging trends are you seeing? “Sauvignon blanc is likely to take a small turn in direction, from fruit-forward styles to a more sophisticated theme, heading towards subtle and structured styles. The public is more educated and willing to experiment than ever. Soon we’ll all be sitting down to Sunday lunch and getting stuck into the grüner veltliner.”

Which wines don’t sell but you can’t understand why? “Grenache, especially from the Rhône Valley in France. It’s a great food wine, complements so many different cuisines and has personality and style. [But it is] seemingly unpopular – I don’t know why. Do people perceive it as being ‘wussy’?”

What’s the one thing a good Australian sommelier should know? “A great friend of mine once said, ‘To understand great wine, you must first try the great wines of the world and they will teach you greatness.’ To be a great sommelier, you must expose yourself to knowledge and have the ability to absorb and relay it.”

RAVE WINES
Red: 2006 Eldridge Estate Gamay, Mornington Peninsula, A$35. “Purity combined with complexity and grace. It shows earth and mineral qualities, bright red fruit with sour cherries backed up by the layered effect of sweet spice,and finishes dryly.”

White: 2005 Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, A$75. “It shows great structure and length; the mineral/soil quality of the vineyard comes through, underpinning the restrained and pure fruit.”

Fizz: 1996 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne (France), A$295. “You can spend a lot of money on Champagne and sometimes it may not be all that you had hoped it would be. In this case, it absolutely is.”

Import: 2006 Hirsch Heiligenstein Grüner Veltliner, Kamptal (Austria), A$37. “A really exciting flavour profile: white pepper, spice, fennel. Crisp and delicious; a fun wine to play around with food and wine matching.”

Rockpool (fish), (02) 9252 1888, www.rockpoolsydney.com.

This article appeared in the April/May issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE magazine.