David LaBrooy of Three Blue Ducks

The philosophy of local produce, ethical practices and sustainability that guides Mark LaBrooy at his restaurant Three Blue Ducks is reflected in the wines he enjoys.

01 Jilly Wines

Lone Ranger Gewurztraminer

Three Blue Ducks had a box of this wine delivered by winemaker Jared Dixon in return for some fresh mahi mahi I speared.

That came about because I bumped into Jared at work one day after I’d been fishing and had the boat out the back where I was cleaning the fish. He was coming in with the wine and we both knew straight away they’d be a perfect pair. This particular drop goes down a treat with fish tacos, or any white-flesh fish covered in adobo mayo with chilli, coriander, cumin and pimento.

02 Ochota Barrels Texture Like Sun

My partner Hannah and I saw in the New Year on Brunswick Beach a few years back while appreciating a few bottles of this – it’s a lovely wine to be enjoyed with lovely company. We had the pleasure of meeting winemaker Taras Ochota a while back and we spent a day hanging out with him, eating and drinking this wine. Hannah then spotted it in a bottle shop one day and it made her think of that special time, which is how we ended up choosing it for the occasion. To be honest, it was one of the things that made the night, and we still refer to it as ‘that New Year’s Eve bottle’.

03 Eloquesta by Stuart Olsen A Boy with Fruit

Our Bronte restaurant manager Meredith knows her stuff, as well as what Hannah and I like, so when we came in to dine, she put this red blend in front of us. We’ve been working with Stuart pretty much since we kicked off serving wine at Bronte; we discovered him at his stall at the Carriageworks Farmers’ Markets. It’s great to have a producer making awesome wine so close to Sydney and also in keeping with our ethos of valuing the starting product. Hannah and I have enjoyed many of these together. It’s my wine of choice for a special night.

04 Tom Shobbrook Sunday Syrah

Back when we had only one little venue in the heart of Bronte, we did a tasting of Tom Shobbrook’s wines and loved this so much that we made it our house red. At that time – a few years ago now – Tom was really pushing the boundaries of what we knew about wine out of South Australia, and things like his wild-ferment, skin-contact sauvignon blanc needed a bit more of an introduction in the restaurant. I’m happy to see more wines like this these days and I feel Tom’s journey is not too dissimilar from our own. I love what he’s all about.

05 Jauma Danby Grenache Syrah

I first came across this wine at our newest venue in Brisbane. Opening a new venue can be a hard slog, but sitting down with the team after a long day and sharing a staff meal matched to a superdelicious, easy-drinking wine such as this makes it all worthwhile. James Erskine of Jauma makes wines with zero additions: nothing added, nothing taken away. As a chef,

I am all about honest, real food, so that approach appeals to me. This is a wine that’s easily enjoyed alongside grilled beef or slow-cooked lamb.