Hungry? You will be after you hear what Angie has to say. The hospo icon gives us her valuable tips for nailing a roast and finding the perfect wine to match.
Angie Giannakodakis loves a Sunday roast. In fact, the only thing she loves more than a Sunday roast is providing exceptional service and out-of-this-world wine knowledge – two things that make her one of our favourite icons of Australian hospitality. You only have to chat with her briefly to see how passionate she is about creating an unforgettable dining experience. Angie and her team achieve this from Thursday to Sunday at Melbourne’s Epocha in Carlton where she is co-owner and maitre'd. Epocha (the Latin word for a season and era) has been serving up delicious Sunday roasts for well over 10 years. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of walking up the stairs of the 1800s terrace on Rathdowne Street and sitting in the comfortingly rustic dining room next to the marble fireplace, you can attest to its magic.
Angie describes the feeling fondly, like being at a relative’s home. “There’s something familiar about the space. Customers get listened to, they feel loved. Once they settle in and they start trusting, then it's just such a beautiful experience for them, and we enjoy it as much as they do,” explains Angie. “We go above and beyond and over; our mantra is for people just to get looked after,” she adds. As someone who’s seen a lot of Sunday roasts in her time, we thought it fitting to chat with Angie about how to enjoy your next Sunday roast – from simple ways to elevate it to wine pairing like a pro (read: Angie). Get ready for some mouthwatering advice.
As for pairing wines based on what you’re roasting in the oven, Angie has some great recommendations, kicking it off with roast pork. “I like pairing it with a grenache or similar. I find that pinots are sometimes too sweet, but it depends on which region you're choosing from. Even some of the natural stuff is very good,” she says.
For a classic roast chicken, Angie can’t go past a good light red or crisp white. “I love gamay. A good Italian variety is always exceptional too, like catarratto from Sicily or lagrein from Northern Italy. Barberesco is great, too – it's a bit more approachable, lighter, less structured and a little more playful.”
“If roast beef is on the menu, I like the idea of not just doing a cabernet or a big bowl of shiraz because I think that you're taking away the flavour of the meat,” she says. “I love the Bordeaux family of varietals – like petit verdot or cabernet franc. Also maybe choose a juicy malbec for fun, or a zinfandel – perhaps some primitivo if you’re cooking Italian-style. If you want to start a controversial argument (and win) try an aged white Rioja. It’s awesome, and works just as well when you have guests who enjoy white wine.”
Then, of course, there’s lamb. “Lamb needs some nebbiolo or a good xinomavro from Greece. The wine choice should err towards leaner-style reds, ensuring they don’t contain lots of sugars – more like those savoury varieties with a little bit more earthiness. If you can find something that smells like olives on the nose and smokiness on the palate, that's perfect.”
Overall, though, Angie reminds us it’s really all about having fun. But that doesn’t mean she can’t leave us with one more tip – “Ensure the accompanying sides match the wine and that may be the best insurance for the lunch.”
The second tip is choosing a drink at the start of the meal that “calibrates your palate”. “Whether that's a cheeky sherry or perhaps a vermouth; something that will take away the coffee from before and scrape flavour off before coating your mouth so you're ready to go for the next step.” Try finishing the meal with a nice digestive too – Angie loves a mastic liqueur because “it coats your tummy and those flavours make you feel good and warm inside.”
Tuck in your napkins and pick up your cutlery, because when Angie cooks a Sunday roast she doesn’t hold back. It begins with a bottle of Champagne and some oysters with mignonette before a meaty ceviche paired with a txakoli from Spain. “Then I’d do kalitsounia, which are cheese-filled pies sprinkled with seeds and honey, paired with a Greek white like aged assyrtiko for the win, with the match bringing a slick flow of sea mist lined with lanolin thyme. Some red prawns with beurre blanc for the next course. Then pork with a Sicilian catarratto or Etna Bianco,” she says. “I'll be serving some lemon potatoes with oregano because I'm Greek. I’d also encourage a short intermission during the pork and offer some aged sake to recalibrate the palate before deciding if we would crack a bottle of heavier red. Dessert would be poached apples served with different shards of crumbs and toffee, and at this point, I’d ask my guests what type of digestives they would like. Perhaps an Amaro Italiano, a Negroni or a port.” she says.
Ooft! Yes, we’re waiting for an invite to Angie’s. If it doesn’t arrive, meet you at Epocha.
