Carlton Wine Room’s New Vino and Snacks Series Shows Off Riesling in a “Fun and Irreverent Way”

Melbourne staple Carlton Wine Room has just launched its new Vino and Snacks series. Each week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, between 3pm and 5pm for the month of February, the team will be pouring five versions of a different varietal. February is all about rieslings, and each week the team is curating a selection of five versions of the much-loved (though often divisive) drop.

The first in the series last week featured Australian rieslings from makers including Victoria’s Crawford River, Frankland Estate of Western Australia’s Frankland River wine region, and Kenny Wines of South Australia’s Clare Valley. This week there are drops from Germany, with rieslings from producers including Dr Loosen in the Moselle Valley and Wittmann Estate in Westhofen.

“It’s a challenge to the team to develop and explore what they think is good in terms of varieties to try,” co-owner Andrew Joy tells Broadsheet of the series. But this isn’t a classroom and the atmosphere will remain laid-back and casual. “We’re trying to keep it fun and loose for a couple of hours in the afternoon.”

Wines are available by the half-glass, so you can try all five without going over two-and-a-half standard drinks. In addition to Carlton Wine Room classics, you’ll be able to order from a curated selection of snacks. For this first week, off-menu items include bratwurst pickle sticks with German sausage from the Prahran Market’s Mr Bratwurst; and kingfish served topped with Yarra Valley caviar.

As Joy says the series is something to “inspire our team, both FOH and in the kitchen, to think about the wines they are using on a daily basis, all presented in a fun and irreverent way that will hopefully offer the guest something different to what we normally do”.

And if it kicks off the way we think it will, the team will extend the series and explore different varietals monthly.

Carlton Wine Room’s Vino and Snacks Series runs Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3pm to 5pm throughout the month of February.