Wine Dinner at Vivace Ristorante with Special Guest Andrew Guard Thursday 22nd October

Not much, if you ask fine-wine importer and distributor Andrew Guard!

At the end of 2012, Andrew was named the 66th most influential person in Sydney in The Sydney Morning Herald’s Top 100. To put that into perspective, city planner Graham Jahn ranked 68th, while Australian Test cricket captain Michael Clarke came in at 70th. Joanna Savill, co-editor of the SMH Good Food Guide, described Andrew as “a pioneer of new-style wine importing”.

Andrew began his career with an apprenticeship at InterContinental Hotels in Sydney before joining Tony Bilson’s hugely influential Treasury Restaurant as a sommelier in 1993. Treasury was home to an extraordinary cellar, filled with remarkable wines, including bottles dating back to the 1800s. It was also the kind of place where Australian wine legends such as Len Evans would gather for lunch. Words By The Wine Idealist

For many years, I have been a huge admirer of Andrew’s portfolio. He has introduced Australia to some of the most exciting, individual and sought-after producers in the world, including Ganevat, Collier, Houillon, Labet, Gramenon, Foillard and many more.

Andrew has an incredible instinct for discovering the next rising stars of the wine world. Around here, we affectionately call him the Guard Father!

From my early days as the wine buyer at France-Soir through to the present, Andrew has been a tremendous mentor and inspiration. I have been waiting for this collaboration for a very long time, and I could not be more excited to finally bring it to life.

Together with our wonderful neighbour at Vivace, we are thrilled to present a very special wine dinner celebrating Andrew Guard, his extraordinary portfolio and the remarkable growers he represents.

This is going to be a truly memorable evening of great wines, great food and even better stories. We cannot wait to share it with you!