Chris Ryan, senior wine buyer for Trader House, reveals his six most influential wines

Chris Ryan is a Melbourne-based sommelier and winemaker. In 2015, he joined Andrew McConnell and Jo McGann's stable of restaurants, where he worked on the floor at Cumulus Inc. and Cutler until he was promoted to senior wine buyer in 2022. He holds DipWSET certification and will soon complete his CMS. In 2021 he was awarded Australia’s Best Sommelier by Sommelier’s Australia, and in 2020, Chris launched his own wine label, Honky Chateau, based in the Yarra Valley.

Below, he shares the six wines that have had the most influence on his life and career so far.

Chris Ryan at Cumulus Inc. Photo credit: Jo McGann.

2012 Toolangi Chardonnay
Yarra Valley, Australia

Often we worship the expensive or hard-to-get wines and overlook great everyday wines. This was a wine I used to drink a lot of. The first time I tried it I didn’t realise chardonnay could taste like that (on reflection, it was the modern Australian style). It was such a treat to go to the local bottle shop, the anticipation and pleasure would make any day better. This was the ‘gateway’ to much more expensive bottles of chardonnay!

2015 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Leistenberg Kabinett Riesling
Nahe, Germany

Kabinett riesling is probably my desert island wine. It just gives so much joy – low alcohol, exuberant fruit, strong impression of 'minerality' and remarkably good value. It has a strong sense of place, and one sip can be so emotive. Dönnhoff is a producer I really admire; everything they do from dry to sweet is exceptional. Every time I drink kabinett riesling I feel like a child eating lollies.

1990 Mount Mary Quintet
Yarra Valley, Australia

When you start getting into wine, it’s natural to have a “more is more” approach – be it oak, fruit or tannins. But Mount Mary really blew my mind when it came to drinking older vintages – the Quintet was lower alcohol than the pinot noir, it was elegant, even refreshing in a way. It provided a new reference point for what cabernet blends can be. I say this often, but Yarra Valley cabernet deserves a lot more love, and Mount Mary keeps on getting better.

2017 Jean-Marc Millot Côte de Nuits Villages Aux Faulques
Burgundy, France

I learn so much from tasting wines blind, and this is a great example of the virtues of the practice. It's from a lesser vintage and a place that isn't in most wine books. I tasted it alongside more famed Burgundies, and it really scratched my itch – elegant, perfumed, it's all the things I like about Burgundy but often can't afford. Lesson learned: vintage charts are often wrong, or at least misleading, and there is still value in Burgundy if you can let go of the big names.

2015 Gonon Saint-Joseph
Rhône Valley, France

Gonon has become my wine guru. There is a wonderful interview with Jean Gonon on Levi Dalton's 'I'll Drink to That' podcast that I try to listen to at least a couple of times a year. There's an unforced, restrained quality to the wines that is just so captivating. They are endearingly humble, soulful wines that capture the spirit of farming.

1963 Warre's Vintage Port
Douro, Portugal

I’m very fortunate to drink with some "more mature" wine collectors who have given me a real appreciation for Vintage Port. 'VP' is an eternal wine that provokes so much discussion and pleasure at the end of the meal. To be decades out when trying to pick the vintage is so delightfully humbling. Vintage Port is undoubtedly one of the great wine styles of the world and I buy as many bottles as I can.

Instagram: @cheeseafterdessert / @honkychateauwine / @traderhouse_

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