It’s no surprise that at Monopole, they take their wine seriously. The latest initiative from the star Sydney wine bar is yet another opportunity to experience the breadth and knowledge of their wine list, while getting intimate with Australia’s leading sommeliers and some lesser-known winemakers.
Launching on Tuesday 23 March, the An Evening With… series will be hosted by Monopole co-owner and 2014 ‘Sommelier of the Year’ Nick Hildebrandt.
The first event in the series will spotlight Harkham Wines, a small, family-owned and operated winery from the Hunter Valley region. Guest of honour, Harkham Wines founder Richie Harkham, will showcase a variety of sustainably farmed, minimal intervention styles, grapes and vintages from his cellar door.
The wines will be complemented by snacks and a three-course menu. Some of the dishes to feature on the first menu are parmesan cheese and caramelised onion gougères; chicken liver parfair with port jelly and sourdough toast; raw kingfish with white peach and shiso; and beef cheek with pickled beetroot and crisp kale.
Hildebrandt’s idea for An Evening With… was to give guests the opportunity to “get up close and personal with a winemaker or key industry figure who has an interesting background and is doing something that we respect and admire.”
For the purposes of maintaining this intimacy, the events – which will be held in Monopole’s new private dining room – will be capped at 20 guests.
The first event has already sold out, but a second date has been set for 11 May. This next event will spotlight sommelier turned winemaker Fraser McKinley of Sami-Odi, a Barossa Valley winery producing small-batch shiraz from vines that date as far back as 1888.
Updates on ticket sales will be announced on the Monopole website, as well as via their newsletter.