Syracuse Restaurant & Wine Bar, Melbourne by Log Lady

Syracuse Restaurant & Wine Bar, a restaurant evoking old world European charm located at the bottom end of the CBD on Bank Place, has recently won a prestigious award for Best Wine Bar List in Australasia by World of Fine Wine (they've also been nominated to win the Best Wine List in the World). Syracuse celebrated this illustrious prize by showcasing some of their wine from France to their regular customers. I had the pleasure of attending this intimate event, and the opportunity to taste three of their French wines.

Delicious nibbles to go with our wine  

The trio of wines we sampled

Now I must confess to being a little bit of a wine-o, so I did jump at the chance of a wine tasting. Aaaanndd … I have recently travelled to France, and was guided through tastings in both Burgundy and Provence, so was primed for the occasion.


The first wine I tasted was a sparkly white from Bourgogne, in the Burgundy region of France – the Domaine Trenel Blanc de Blancs Brut. Being from Burgundy, the wine used Chardonnay grapes and was a refreshing drop to start with. This was a very subtle sparkling wine, it had elements of green apple and peach, but when coupled with the hors d'oeuvre on offer (I indulged in the chicken liver pâté) the buttery-ness of the wine was exemplified.


The next wine was the Belleruche M. Chapoutier; a white wine from Côtes du Rhone. This was made with white Grenache, Roussanne, Viogner, Clairette and Bourboulence grapes. Yes very complex, but superbly made as this was a very subtle wine; apricot and floral notes with a fresh finish. I can imagine this would couple perfectly with poultry or seafood.


The last wine was a red, Domaine de Bila Haut, from Côtes du Roussillon Villages. This was made with Syrah, Grenache and Carignan grapes, and was another beautiful wine, very heavy on the nose (there was a party in my nose and everyone was invited!) but also quite easy drinking. It had notes of cherry and strawberry, and I imagine it would pair well with beef or duck.

Verdict

We loved it.

Splurge.

Overall

Syracuse is very deserving of their award; these amazing wines are just the tip of the iceberg – their wine list is 36 pages. I highly commend the work of sommelier, Florian Valieres, who has created the perfect wine list for this Melbourne institution and is only too happy to help customers choose the perfect bottle for their meals. Well done!

The Eat and Be Merry Crew were guests of Syracuse.

Find it at

Syracuse Restaurant and Wine Bar
23 Bank Place
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: (03) 9670 1777