Meet Perth sommelier Emma Farrelly
The award-winning sommelier of Perth’s State Buildings shares five wines that struck a chord with her the first time she tried them, and that she still loves today.
01 Frankland Estate Olmo’s Reward
My mum and dad are friends with the owners of this estate, so when I was 18, they took me to the Flowering of the Vine annual event. I was blown away by the people and discussions at this lunch. We did a flight of backvintage Olmo’s Reward wines, and it was the first time I’d experienced reds in that way. Before that, I hadn’t drunk many reds – being a teenager, the wines I had drunk were mostly white, fruity and boring. Being there with the winemakers and owners, and hearing their stories, resonated with me, and it was a defining moment in realising what makes wine so special.
02 Armand Rousseau CharmesChambertin
I don’t think anyone in the wine industry would be like ‘Yeah, Rousseau, I don’t want to drink that.’ The first time I tried it, I was at the Botanical in Melbourne, where you can buy wine from the store and drink it in the restaurant for the retail price, which I hadn’t come across in Perth. So we bought this bottle of 1995 Grand Cru, and it was quite affordable given we got to drink it in a dining environment. That was the start of an expensive love affair with Burgundy, which continued until I had children and had to spend money on other things.
03 Pewsey Vale Contours Riesling
When I was working at MUST Winebar, we decided to have this huge international riesling event over two days, and people came over from the east coast for it. We got in some fantastic back-vintage wines, and [Pewsey Vale winemaker] Louisa Rose pulled out some Contours from the 1970s that were under screwcap, which was pretty surprising. It was the first time I’d tried these incredible older rieslings, and the Contours stood out because it was still so fresh. I was relatively young, about 23, and that cemented the sheer brilliance of aged Australian riesling for me.
04 Marc Bredif Vouvray
I first tried the Marc
Bredif around 15 years ago when there weren’t as many imported into Australia, and it opened my eyes to chenin blanc. It’s a beautiful wine to introduce people to – I don’t think I’ve come across anyone who doesn’t love it, whether it’s a current release or one with age. Coming from Perth, I previously knew chenin blanc as a fruity, tacky white wine grown in Margaret River in the ’80s and ’90s, and not something I thought was cool, fun or interesting. It’s since had a revival, and there are some amazing Margaret River producers making fantastic wines.
05 Sorrenberg Gamay
The first time I drank this gamay was in Melbourne at City Wine Shop, and I was excited to see it on the list because I’d heard about it and wanted to try it. As soon as I did, I knew I needed more of it in my life. They make such a small amount, so any time I see this gamay, no matter where I am, I’ll buy it. It’s beautifully concentrated, clean, complex and consistent. I love Sorrenberg’s other wines too – they do a semillon sauvignon blanc, which is one of our most famous blends here in WA, so it’s always nice to stock some to show people that other parts of Australia can make it too.