6 Restaurants to Experience a Wine and Food Paired Menu

Ever sat at a restaurant table pondering the menu, unsure of what wine to order to go with which dish?

For those of us who enjoy a nice glass of wine but really don’t know what we are doing when it comes to pairing food and wine, there are many restaurants around the country that take away that quandary by offering menus where wine is paired with each dish. 

Here are six we recommend you try:

Taking inspiration from the beauty and rugged landscapes of the Blue Mountains and past cultures, Arrana on Macquarie Road in Springwood weaves native ingredients and stories into its menus. Step into a warm space, where the lighting is soft and the champagne abundant, ideal for a romantic fine dining experience and ponder two degustation-style seasonal menus with wine pairing options.

 

Think delicious starters like ocean trout, kelp, apple and lemon myrtle, enjoyed with a glass of Rowlee Single Vineyard Arneis; followed by pork loin, cabbage, buckwheat, broccoli and aniseed myrtle, with a glass of Torbreck Kyloe Mataro, or a Native Basil Sour cocktail; pair a glass of Lowe Jodie Wilbertree Sparkling Rosé with a dessert of honey, strawberry, pepperberry, passionfruit and chocolate.

Discover speakeasy-style Vaquero Dining on Sandgate Road in Albion to escape the world with an intimate dining experience or a cocktail party. With an open kitchen at the heart of this Brisbane dining destination, sitting in the middle of the venue to ensure the theatre of what appears at your table stretches beyond just the plate.

 

Inspired by the European dining concept of share and enjoy, take the four-course banquet and wine-pairing option to delve into Pacific oysters and mignonette with a glass of Tim Adams Riesling from the Clare Valley; move onto mains of roast duck, mustard leaves, apple and calvados with French Pinot Noir, Bouchard Aine & Fils from Burgundy. Finish with a dessert of chocolate nemesis, strawberry gelato and peanut brittle.

Visit Parliament House on the corner of George and Alice Streets in Brisbane and enjoy lunch or dinner at Strangers’ Restaurant. Expect a quintessential Queensland dining experience, featuring Modern Australian dishes created using the finest quality local ingredients, in elegant surrounds of white-clothed tables, timber arched windows and art deco-style pendent lights.

 

Embark on a memorable culinary journey with starters of braised octopus, almond gazpacho, tomato and grape relish, finger lime and squid ink coral, paired with a glass of Lightfoot Chardonnay; for the main, delve into signature Black Angus striploin with pomme puree, cherry truss tomato, red wine jus and a Pikes Eastside Shiraz from the Clare Valley.

A Hunter Valley hidden culinary gem awaits discerning diners at Oak & Vine on Thompsons Road in Pokolbin. Nestled in Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort, this restaurant offers a ‘smart dining’ experience where you can enjoy a meal that quintessentially represents the Hunter Valley; dine alfresco and take in views of the pool and manicured grounds, or head indoors for a pre-dinner drink at the bar.

 

Enjoy exclusive wines to pair with dishes given a Sri Lankan twist, such as baked blue swimmer crab, coconut, aged Parmesan and fresh herbs to start, or black pepper pork dry curry, with string hoppers, coconut sambal, fried onion and curry leaves. For a main to remember, delve into sous vide rack of lamb with papadum and curry leaf crust, eggplant moju and tamarind jus, accompanied by a glass of Margan Cabernet Sauvignon.

Visit family-owned Fowles Wine Cellar Door Restaurant on Lambing Gully Road in Avenel to discover an award-winning portfolio of wines and a farm-to-table dining experience. Nestled in the rugged and beautiful Strathbogie Ranges, Fowles continues to break ground as one of Australia’s finest cool-climate wine producers and Victoria’s most welcoming farm, food and wine experience.

 

The menu offers choices such as Panko crumbed and fried stingray wing with nam jim dressing and a glass of Are You Game? Arneis to start; crispy pork belly, Asian greens, fried eggplant and savoury peanut kare kare sauce entice for the main, best enjoyed with a glass of Stone Dwellers Mourvedre, or grilled lamb rump, cannellini bean hummus, tabouli couscous, feta and pine nuts, with a glass of Farm to Table Shiraz.

A symbiotic relationship between food and wine, while paying homage to an estate which is steeped in history is what you’ll find at Woodcutters Restaurant at Nikola Estate on Dale Road in Middle Swan. This Swan Valley dining destination delivers flame-kissed and charcoal-roasted dishes, alongside pizzas and bread baked to perfection in the wood-fired oven, evoking a sense of place in every delicious morsel.

 

An outdoor alfresco area under vine-clad pergolas is ideal for soaking up the sun over dishes such as salmon, squid, lemon jam and fish row to start, paired with a glass of estate The Impressionist Geographe; then delve into confit duck, carrot, wattleseed, pomegranate and chervil, accompanied by a glass of estate Tempranillo, or dry-aged rib eye with Bordelaise sauce, black garlic butter, potato gratin and an estate Regional Shiraz.