Amelia Birch from Sydney wine bar Famelia gives us all the answers.

Choosing from a wine list doesn’t always come easy. Whether you are newer to wine or can reel off Bordeaux’s classifications from memory, the process of navigating a venue’s wine selections can sometimes be overwhelming. What if you don’t recognise a single producer on the list? What if you don’t love the wine you end up with? And what will the waiter really think if you go for the cheapest wine?

Long-time sommelier Amelia Birch of wine bar Famelia in Sydney’s Newtown is passionate about helping people to enjoy wine and find the styles they love most. Amelia says that feeling comfortable enough to ask what seems like a stupid question can often be the first hurdle. “A lot of sommeliers don’t always make you feel like you can ask those questions,” she says. “I take that business seriously. Everything we do is about making people feel welcome and safe because there’s that psychological element to it that’s super important to me.”

Having started her career in fine dining at 18, Amelia was quickly hooked on the buzz that came from guiding people to a wine they enjoyed. “I always think back to that experience, and I think everyone deserves to have that sommelier experience. It shouldn’t just be reserved for high-end restaurants,” she says. As a result, Amelia switches up Famelia’s list each month to ensure people keep trying new wines, and the venue doesn’t have a by-the-bottle list. This means patrons have to engage with staff about the selections, which helps lead them to the wines they actually want to drink.

So, who better than Amelia to answer our ‘stupid’ wine questions? If you’ve ever chickened out of having a conversation you really wanted to have with a sommelier, then consider this your shortcut to wine-ordering glory.

1. Are there any faux pas when ordering wine?

“I think that’s the question that puts us in this mindset in the first place – thinking that we’re doing something wrong, or that we’re on show and going to be looked down on. But perhaps the faux pas is to order something you think you should order instead of something that fits your budget or some other criteria you value. For me, I look for wine made by women, so I’ll ask about that. Often, they get cranky with me for asking but, for me, that’s my value point. For others, it’s money, and that’s totally fine. I think the faux pas is thinking there’s a faux pas! Or perhaps not being experimental and sticking with the same thing all the time.”

2. Why do you pour a sample to try when the bottle is sealed with a screwcap?

“Historically, the idea of tasting a wine is to look for faults, and screwtops do eliminate their prevalence. But I have a different take on it. For me, it’s not about tasting for the fault – the sommelier should have done that already. It’s about the customer deciding if the wine meets their expectations because, ultimately, if you’re selling something, that’s on you. If they’re not sure, I’d probably give them a few things I had open and see whether those wines match their expectations.”

3. What if we really don’t like the wine I’ve just ordered?

“We have to lose the ego on both sides. The customer has to defer to the expert, but the sommelier can also have a bit of ego about it, which isn’t great either. I think it’s all about communication and taking the fear of consequence out of it. The experience can help you understand how you might do things differently next time. Should you ask if they have something open that you can taste? If you don’t like the wine a little bit, will you live? Can you use it as a learning experience? You could also think about having a chat with the sommelier after, and say, ‘You said it was like this, but how would I find that flavour?’ Would you give them a little sip and have a chat about it? That’s a very mature and confident thing to do, but just know that we don’t always make a perfect decision. There’s always a learning to take away from it.”

4. What if you’re still learning what you like in a wine?

“Talk about what you don’t like in a wine and what you haven’t enjoyed in the past. It can often be a lot easier to articulate what you don’t like rather than what you do. Have the conversation and engage with the staff – it’s all going to help.”

5. What do you really think when we order the cheapest wine on the list?

“Who cares? It’s cozzie livs! You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. It’s so often about staying within your budget, but I sometimes wonder if the person ordering doesn’t feel comfortable enough to say what they really feel like. I do think it’s a shame if someone’s worried about risking money on a wine they might not like and not ordering what they want.”

6. Are the most expensive wines actually the best ones on the list?

“It depends how you define ‘best’. It really doesn’t matter – it’s about the wine experience you want to have. There are some wines that are really expensive that are great, but there are also some incredible wines that aren’t expensive and also very worthy.”

7. If we don’t know any wines on a list, what’s your best tip for ordering a good one?

“It’s always good to learn a little about your palate and work out what vibe you like. It can also be good to have a general understanding of which regions are best for the varietals you like. Pinot from Adelaide Hills, for example, is going to be beautiful, while a pinot from Queensland maybe isn’t. You can also stick with varietals that are a little clearer on expectations. One example might be fiano – it can still be quite different depending on where it’s from, but it’s generally a great wine. It’s high in acid, holds its structure well when grown in different temperatures, and tends to be well made. Another thing to remember is that smaller wineries, often run by women or wife-and-husband teams, really care. These wines are often organic or biodynamic, made with attention to detail by people who care about the environment and what goes into wine, and that’s never a bad thing. Sometimes these wines cost a little more because they cost more to make, but they’re doing great things for the planet and terroir and biodiversity of their area.”

8. If we’re dining as a group and everyone’s into something different, what’s the safest wine to order?

“Just know that you don’t have to meet everybody’s brief. It’s worth getting a few bottles at once rather than one at a time, and think of your wine experience as a whole. Get on the same page to try some different wines – you have less to lose because you’re spending less overall. It’s always a good opportunity to branch out. In terms of varietals, bubbles are always great. I would do fiano over a pinot grigio, chenin blanc, which is high in acid and has a beautiful structure, and Soave. In terms of reds, I’d go for medium-bodied wines like sangiovese, or a grenache, which can suit the pinot drinker as well as the heavier-shiraz drinker. Cabernet franc is another great option. Go for wines that are in these peripheral zones because if you order something too well-known, the likelihood of people not liking it is higher. This way they have no expectations.”

9. Is there anything you wish people would stop doing when ordering wine?

“I think the best answer is to stop being scared to ask a question! You’re not meant to know everything about wine or wacky varietals – no one does. And you can always ask the waiter which wines they’re liking on the list and why. Use them as your guide because they should’ve tried a lot of the wines. Just don’t be afraid to ask questions.”

10. What’s the one wine style you think people should order more?

“Chenin blanc! Every time. I just love it. It’s so diverse and interesting, it can be made in so many different styles, it’s just got such incredible acidity that it holds and braces itself, and you can do different things with it. It can be sparkling, sweet, dry, sticky… It’s so versatile and fun, I think it’s a really hard wine not to like. There are some better ones from better regions, so look to those from France’s Loire Valley, Stellenbosch and Western Cape in South Africa, and Margaret River.”