What Alejandro Saravia and the Farmer’s Daughters Wine House Team Are Drinking Right Now

For the past three years, Alejandro Saravia has been inadvertently building a “library of Victorian wines” to service his Farmer’s Daughters hospo group. So when the chef and his beverage team – led by sommelier Stephen Amman – were brainstorming what to open in the former Morena space on Little Collins Street, the answer was obvious: a bar and bottle shop that opens up their eclectic cellar to the public and lets punters sample museum wines and fresh drops by the glass or bottle, alongside a menu made for small-plate snacking.

Just like the OG Farmer’s Daughters , and Victoria by Farmer’s Daughters at Fed Square, the new Farmer’s Daughters Wine House will focus on Gippsland vineyards and produce, though all Victorian wine regions are represented on the hefty list – as well as some from further afield.

“The beverage team basically said, ‘Look, we have a cellar that we have been building for the past three years in Victoria that hosts more than 3000 bottles of wine,’” Saravia tells Broadsheet. “Because of all the work that’s gone into it, it is a good idea to provide a place for us to develop the program more, but also to be more approachable for our customers.

“We believe that wine should be drunk and enjoyed, not just kept in cellars gathering dust.”

As always, Broadsheet Access ensures members get in the door first with our Readers’ Preview series. On October 24, Access members will attend an exclusive dinner at Farmer’s Daughters Wine House with Saravia, Amman and three top Victorian winemakers.

Tickets are selling fast, so nab yours today if you’re keen. We hold Melbourne Readers’ Previews regularly, so there will also be plenty more venues to explore in future. To be in the know for upcoming events, join Broadsheet Access now.

Meanwhile, here’s a look at what Saravia is pouring for himself (and his team) right now.

2024 Patrick Sullivan chardonnay (Baw Baw Shire)

“Patrick Sullivan has been championing Gippsland winemaking almost from the beginning – when people weren’t really looking at Gippsland as a strong wine region. Patrick brings a very natural, minimal-intervention approach to the winemaking process; there’s a lot of focus on the craftsmanship of making wine without adding too much to the grapes. This is one that you can savour a lot and sip and enjoy. It’s very textural, not overly fruity, a little bit more mineral.”

2022 Moondarra Post Natural pinot noir (Baw Baw Shire)

“This one’s from a very young winemaking couple in Gippsland. We have been working with them for quite a while. The Post Natural pinot noir brings a lighter approach – even though it’s 2022 it still feels very young, very fresh. Wild, juicy and full of local soul. It shows how versatile the winemaking approach in Gippsland is. They’re working with really good grapes, really good produce, so they’re not overly complicating the wine process.”

NV Cannibal Creek sparkling blanc de blancs (Tynong North)

“This is a very good example of how we need to start taking Australian and Victorian wines more seriously. Too often, we talk about champagne as if it’s the only sparkling worth drinking, which is not true. This blanc de blancs I personally can compare with a very well produced champagne in France. It’s really crisp, it’s really rounded. You can actually taste a really balanced flavour – that is what Cannibal Creek has achieved with this. It’s celebratory – a sparkling wine that you can drink anytime. It’s just very, very easy to drink.”

2015 The Wine Farm vintage blend (Koonwarra)

“I’m a fan of what Anna and Neil Hawkins do at The Wine Farm. It’s a very small boutique vineyard and what they really focus on is working the soil first before the plant. And if you really nail that – it’s very naturally driven, very sustainably driven – you end up with a very special crop. They usually do pinot noir, cabernet, sauvignon, chardonnay and reisling in the vineyard. And they’ve started doing some gewürtztraminer and pinot gris as well. This wine really reflects the work that they have been doing on the farm to get the best out of their varieties. It’s really, really special.”

2017 Ten Minutes by Tractor Judd chardonnay (Mornington Peninsula)

“This is an iconic Mornington Peninsula vineyard – it’s away from Gippsland, because we do have all the Victorian wine regions on our list! This chardonnay represents Victoria well: it’s a cold climate one, so it has a lot of crispiness in the wine. It’s very, very delicate in flavour and pairs with other delicate flavours like scallops or raw fish. It’s not a chardonnay that will be super big and oaky or buttery. It’s lighter and more elegant – a well-balanced chardonnay. Just lovely.”

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