Food Tours · Tour

Nine Wines, Nine Plates, Three Sommeliers, One Evening

Three venues, and at each one the sommelier comes to the table. That is the structure and it is unusual. At each restaurant the sommelier picks three wines from their own list, the ones they actually rate, and talks you through them, while the chef sends out small plates built to match. Nine wines and nine plates over an evening, all of them chosen by the people who chose the rest of the list. The venues are about fifteen minutes' walk apart, and the walking is not filler. Melbourne's restaurants are as much about the rooms as the food, and the route between them takes in the architecture at the hour when the city looks best. Along the way the guide covers the city's history and the eccentricity of its present, which is a lot of what makes eating here what it is. You leave with an information kit: maps, a city dining guide, and the tasting notes. Three and a half hours, eight people at most, in English. Over-18s, because of the alcohol. Not recommended if you are pregnant. It runs in all weather. Tell them about dietary requirements at booking. Wheelchair access depends on the venues, so say at booking if you need it and they will adapt where they can. Minimum numbers apply, and there is a small chance of cancellation, with an alternative or a full refund offered. Cancelling more than six days out is a full refund.