Seagrass is the feature restaurant this month. Bryan Fort has been put under the microscope…  Who is Bryan? Seagrass, located on the Mid Level of Southgate, employed Bryan Fort to enhance the restaurant experience for diners and I had the pleasure of sitting with him to ask him about his position of Sommelier. Bryan is a qualified Australian Sommelier, holds a Level III Certificate with WSET (Wine Spirit Education Trust) and he is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, of which there are only approximately 50 in Australia; these are internationally recognised bodies with charters to educate. At a ripe young age of 26, Bryan has such a passion for wine which enables him to impart his knowledge with captivating ease. What does Bryan do at Seagrass? Patrons will enjoy dinner even more at a restaurant where there is a Sommelier and an aspect of Bryan’s position at Seagrass is one of education. He is a professional who works the floor and has direct one on one contact with Seagrass’ patrons. Bryan has a responsibility to guide diners with their wine choices, needing to ascertain details from the patron’s such as taste dislikes, budget and whether or not their wine will be accompanied with food. The multicultural clientele of Seagrass is an added challenge, as different cultures have different palettes and this must be taken into consideration when recommending wine. Bryan is able to harness his wealth of wine knowledge with a disposition of humility, and effortlessly gains the trust of Seagrass patrons, often encouraging diners to recommendations ‘outside their wine comfort zones’, with pleasing results. Guests are at ease to enjoy the spectacular modern seafood menu even more, because of Bryan’s assistance with wine selection. Outside the dining room, Bryan’s role at Seagrass includes duties such as procurement, storage, wine lists and bar management. So what wine does Bryan drink? Bryan currently enjoys the new and interesting varietals, however he derives the most pleasure from savouring the terrior of a wine. “Anything that’s balanced and sings of it’s variety” is a wine worth enjoying states Bryan. Bryan highlights the Austrian Grüner Veltliner and the Spanish Albariño which are currently on offer at Seagrass as a couple of drops worth sampling. Where to from here? Professionally, Bryan looks forward to continuing to educate the patrons of Seagrass and gain satisfaction from maximising the fine dining experience that Seagrass offers in his role as Sommelier, he will continue to work towards gaining a Master Sommelier distinction and is also keen to pursue a Master of Wine accreditation. Personally, Bryan has his own vines at Heathcote and looks forward to the day he is able to produce his own wines. Introducing Bryan Fort of Seagrass Seagrass is located on the Mid Level of Southgate