Cyril Thevenet

Head sommelier, Aubergine, Canberra

You’ve got $20 to spend. What wine would you buy? The 2016 Jim Barry Watervale Riesling from Clare Valley. Its citrus and pear flavours make it delicate and refreshing. And if you had $50? The 2015 Nick O’Leary Bolaro Shiraz from the Canberra District. It’s a great cool-climate shiraz – complex, fruity and spicy. What hot variety of grape should we be trying? Austrian grüner veltliner is a must-try. What wine would you drink with Chinese food? An Alsace gewürztraminer – tropical and spicy – by Domaine Ostertag. And with Indian cuisine? La Castellada Ribolla Gialla, an orange wine from Friuli, Italy; it’s textural, rich and powerful. What’s the best wine in Australia right now? Wendouree Shiraz, from Clare Valley, which has great balance. What’s the best Champagne? It doesn’t get any better than Jacques Selosse Substance. What five wines would you put away for 10 years? The 2015 Bekkers McLaren Vale Grenache; 2013 Gaja Sorì San Lorenzo; 2011 Domaine Mathilde et Yves Gangloff Côte-Rôtie La Barbarine; 2013 Vérité La Muse; and 2013 Bell Hill Pinot Noir. And what’s the strangest question you’ve been asked? “Do you have any red viognier on the wine list?” It’s a white grape and, although you can produce white wine from red grapes, you can’t produce red wine from white grapes.