Steamers Bar and Grill are delighted to announce that they have obtained a prestigious Two Glass Rating at 2021’s Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards, in partnership with Gourmet Traveller WINE and the drinks Association.

Restaurant Manager and Sommelier, Romain Bastianel hand-selected each of the 345 wines on the extensive wine list. Mr Bastianel responded to the accolade, “We feel very humbled to have been awarded Two Glasses this year. It took just over 4 years for the wine list to become what it is now, and we still have many projects for the years to come.” He continued, “Although we began by focusing solely on Australian wines, we have spent the last two years sampling and showcasing some stellar international wines as well. Our main focus is to find wines that will match our style of food. Our cuisine is inspired by street food from around the world, and we are having a lot of fun matching lesser known varietals from different wine regions, to our ever-evolving menu. It also makes us really proud to be able to bring this type of fun and knowledge to Wollongong, as our city deserves to be considered as an up-and-coming wine enthusiast destination.”

The judges’ comments reflected this; A wine list that celebrates diversity and gives drinkers an opportunity to travel the globe of fine wine regions. It's heavy on Australian content, no doubt, with features of Western Australian chardonnay, excellent Aussie grenache, a deep selection of traditional, South Australian shiraz and a raft of interesting, lesser-known varieties found alongside.

It's great to see Champagne expanded here and a feature on Pol Roger particularly, though Loire Valley whites (particularly with the selection of Marc Bredif chenin blanc) is equally impressive from the imports side of things. Excellent to see some lesser known international regions getting a run, with 'other red varieties' an excellent section to mine. While
classics are the mainstay, it's great to see a scattering of avant garde and natural wines found between the wine list pages. Comprehensive and appealing selection here.

Steamers Bar and Grill are one of only two Illawarra restaurants to hold a Two Glass Rating.