In a parochial power move the wine industry needs right now, the team at McLaren Vale’s The Salopian Inn has announced the restaurant’s drinks menu will be devoted to Australian beverages.
“Wine, beer, premium spirits, soft drinks – everything,” says co-owner and sommelier Alex Marchetti. “It’ll all be Australian.”
In September 2025, The Salopian Inn won the Best Wine List: South Australia in Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards. Shifting to exclusively local is not a decision they take lightly but Marchetti decided the time was right after attending a wine tasting event with winemaker Steve Pannell.
“We tasted wines made from fruit from all the SC Pannell vineyards and they are world class,” Marchetti says. “Why don’t we put Australian wine on the same pedestal as we do international wines? Pannell said he only knows of one place that has the balls to list 100 percent Australian wines.”
It’s certainly not common, especially in high-end restaurants. Infinity at Sydney Tower by Mark Best has a 100 percent Australian wine list, as does The Blue Door in Surry Hills and Port Adelaide’s Colac.
“The challenges the Australian industry faces is scary,” Marchetti says. “What’s going to happen to our producers over the next five to 10 years? Our wine philosophy has always been more about the smaller producers. I love hearing a winemaker say they had somebody ring up and place an order for a dozen wines because they tried the wine at the restaurant and they loved it.”
The Salopian Inn team will phase out their international wine collection. Part of the exit plan is to offer cellar treasures using Coravin ‘by the glass’ technology.
Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
“Coravin has been a game changer. We’ve been doing 125ml pours and I’ve also started doing 75ml,” Marchetti says. “We end up being able to have 30 or so wines on the pour and people can try a lot more. It’s that ability to be able to have a glass of SC Pannell Little Branch Grenache, a glass of MMAD Shiraz or Joshua Cooper Cabernet.”
The offering will range from small, hard to find producers to iconic drops like Henschke Hill of Grace and Jasper Hill.
“There’s no reason we can’t replace Burgundy with Tasmania’s Tolpuddle or Marco Lubiana,” Marchetti says. “In place of Champagne we now have Australian sparkling by the likes of Deviation Road, Bellebonne, Arras and Honey Moon Vineyard.
“You’re actually paying less for a bottle of Deviation Road than you are for Mumm, Veuve Clicquot or Moet and these wines don’t have to travel halfway across the world on container ships. Every single part of that is unsustainable. Why would you do that when you can get better quality wines from our own back door?”
It’s a continuation of what co-owner and chef Karena Armstrong does in the kitchen. Local, ethical producers with sustainability at heart.
“It’s going to be hard work but the exploration is exciting and the storytelling is going to be more interesting,” Marchetti says. “I love the challenge of finding the best Pinot Noir region in Australia. If you ask Adelaide people, it’s the Adelaide Hills. If you ask Victorians, it’s Yarra Valley, Mornington or Geelong. Ask Tasmanians and they’ll tell you it’s Tasmania. We have great Nebbiolo here, too.”
It’s a good news story in a wine world that needs it.
“It frustrates me when I see all these sommeliers posting photos of themselves drinking Burgundy, Barolo and Champagne, but they’re not posting that they’re drinking these amazing, small Australian producers,” Marchetti says.
“It’s a cultural cringe that has to change.”
The Salopian Inn will transition to an all-Australian beverage list throughout 2026.
• This article first appeared in the November-December issue of WBM – Australia’s Wine Business Magazine. Subscribe here.