Best Small List 2010: Fino, Willunga

Picture this. There’s an outpost in McLaren Vale’s rich red-wine country, called Fino. The sharp wine list includes sherries of that dry style, plus oloroso and luscious Pedro Ximénez, all offered by the glass. There is an enticing white and red wine selection, with the few local drops featuring as mostly more savoury, appealing choices. Think Rudderless Grenache, SC Pannell Shiraz Grenache or Cascabel El Sendero Tempranillo. What’s going on?

“If I can give the diner the opportunity to try something they’ve never tasted before or even heard of, then I can take them on a journey around the wine world while sitting in McLaren Vale,” says Fino’s wine gal and front-of-house dynamo Sharon Romeo.

It’s why Prager Grüner Veltliner and Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis feature alongside more intriguing varieties, such as Beach Road Greco di Tufo or Ormarine Picpoul de Pinet. However, this list of about 50 wines doesn’t exclude more mainstream varieties from Australia. There might be a Serrat Pinot Noir or KT and the Falcon Peglidis Vineyard Riesling with a Jasper Hill Georgia’s Paddock Shiraz or Wendouree Cabernet Malbec.

As Romeo says, “We can’t have every variety or lots of the same on the list but we can have really good examples of wine that work with [Fino co-owner and chef] David Swain’s food.” The thrilling mix and match of his small menu to Romeo’s tight wine list makes Fino one of Australia’s most pleasurable regional restaurants.

WORDS JANE FAULKNER PHOTOGRAPHY FINO

Fino, 8 Hill St, Willunga, SA, (08) 8556 4488

This article is from the August/September 2010 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.