A Uk-born wine professional with more than 16 years’ fine dining experience, Gavin Wraith has worked in the UK for the Hotel du Vin chain and was tutored by Master Sommelier Ronan Sayburn.
He went on to gain his Wine and Spirit Education Trust Advanced Certificate, before travelling around South American wine regions and arriving in Melbourne to start work at the legendary Melbourne Supper Club.
After securing a position as Head Sommelier at Shannon Bennett’s Bistro Vue restaurant, Gavin passed his Court of Master Sommeliers Certified qualification and partnered with iconic producers such as Yering Station and Bindi, making wines for Bistro Vue and Vue de Monde.
These days he is a wine merchant for liquor giant Dan Murphy’s on the Sunshine Coast and recently became the WSET State trainer for Queensland, responsible for educating leadership teams.
We asked Gavin, who is a Dad and will be celebrating Father’s Day on Sunday, September 4, for his pick to celebrate the special men in your life with style.
"If Dad is looking to relax post-roast, there’s nothing better than an afternoon glass of red and a fine Cuban cigar in the garden,” he says. "My Father’s Day selection this year is the Yarra Valley’s 2019 Oakridge Vineyard Series Cabernet Sauvignon.
"This Cabernet is quite different from the styles of South Australia, expect more red fruits compared to cooked, stewed dark fruits from our warmer climates.”
Cabernet has a deep history in the Yarra Valley, producing some stellar, premium-priced, age-worthy, Bordeaux-style reds such as Yarra Yering and Mount Mary.
"Cabernet inherently has high tannins, helping it pair wonderfully with fatty meats; this Oakridge wine has spent 15 months in French oak to soften out and is drinking amazingly well now, showing some dried strawberry, raspberry, herbal, spice and a touch of the classic Cabernet cassis,” Gavin explains.
"If Dad prefers his fillet steak rare, no problem. If Dad likes a big juicy, fatty rib eye steak on the BBQ, no dramas, this Cabernet is wonderfully versatile.”
Wine aside, Gavin is also a National UK cocktail champion and certified Cigar Sommelier.
"Cigars are like wine, they are usually discussed in body and intensity; to match this Cabernet, I’m going to pair one of my favourite medium-bodied cigars the Romeo y Julieta No. 2, named from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
'While bigger cigars always look more intimidating, they are a lot smoother as they carry less heat and the smoke is cooler by the time it reaches your mouth helping preserve the great flavour of the cigar. So if you are new to cigars, don’t let size put you off!”
Gavin says for him Cabernet is more of a dinner prospect, so for lunch on Father’s Day this year, he will be grabbing a great wood-fired pizza, a bottle of NV Lanson Black Label Champagne and heading to the park with the family.
