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About our Wine Bar Restaurant
Syracuse Wine Bar Restaurant is located at 23 Bank Place and conveniently located between Collins Street and Little Collins Street. Bank Place is one of Melbourne’s famous laneways and is a tree lined pedestrian thoroughfare. Our open dining room seats 70 people and our alfresco area is a lush outdoor seating option for up to 16 people.
Our dining room evokes a wholly other time and place. The ornate archways, soaring ceilings and curving chandeliers of a 19th century hotel lobby create a stunning impression of grandeur, though soft lighting and an assortment of antique tables and chairs keep the mood romantic and welcoming. Wine bottles displayed in various nooks and crannies hint at Syracuse’s vast and varied wine selection, which the food menu is designed to match.
Syracuse Restaurant and Wine bar has become a haven of escape for visitors and locals alike.
Only quality ingredients are used and treated simply, letting them speak for themselves. Every couple of weeks we will adjust or change one or two dishes according to what the season brings.
We aim for all our produce to be locally grown, sustainable and organic wherever possible. Dietary requirements are looked after of made to suit whatever the guest needs.
We have a wine menu that contains over 500 wines. Australian wines feature prominently and there is also a large variety of International wines from France, Italy and the U.S to name a few.
The name SYRACUSE
Syracuse is a historic city in Sicily, the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace of the preeminent mathematician and engineer Archimedes. This 2,700-year-old city played a key role in ancient times, when it was one of the major powers of the Mediterranean world. Syracuse is located in the southeast corner of the island of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Syracuse next to the Ionian Sea.
Sicilian cuisine shows traces of all the cultures which established themselves on the island of Sicily over the last two thousand years. Although its cuisine has a lot in common with Italian cuisine, Sicilian food also has Greek, Spanish and French influences.
The Sicilian cook Mithaecus, born during 5th century BC, is credited with having brought knowledge of Sicilian gastronomy to Greece. His cookbook was the first in Greek, therefore he was the earliest cookbook author in any language whose name is known.
For deserts Sicilians have Granita which is particularly famous and well known. It is a semi-frozen dessert of sugar, water, and flavoring, originally from the island, and is commonly associated from Catania, even though there is no evident proof that it hails from the particular Sicilian city. Related to sorbet and Italian ice, in most of Sicily it has a coarser, more crystalline texture
For the main meal Sicilians drink mostly wine. The soil and the climate in Sicily are ideal for growing grapes, mainly due to Mount Etna, and a wine-making tradition on the island has operated since the Greeks set up their first colonies on the island. Today, all provinces of the island produce wine using modern methods. Sicily has firmly established itself on the European wine market.
The team
Florian Valieres
Venue Manager - Head Sommelier
A question and answer session to get to know Florian:
Your current passion and what drives you?
Wine is definitely my passion #1 (and my fiancée of course who has been supporting me all this time). What drives me the most, is being able to provide the right wine and customized experience to every customer. With wine there is always a natural thirst for knowledge and the willingness to become better each day.
What you love about working at Syracuse?
Syracuse has always been an institution in Melbourne and this place offers diversity with food and especially wines. Working here gives me the opportunity to create a wine list that offers a wide diversity of choices for our customers and allows me to play when it comes to wine and food pairing.
How and when you discovered your interest in Hospitality / Wine?
In 2011 I arrived Australia, a country with a different language and it was really hard for me to get a job so I started working in hospitality as a kitchen hand making my way up. Then once I got get caught up in the pace and rhythm of the restaurant industry, I loved it. Wine has always been around me since my childhood. Wine was always on the table, so I get to understand it, appreciate it and fall in love with it.
Your experience?
After graduating my Master degree in sports, I worked in the fitness industry for 3 years then moved overseas. My hospitality experience all started in 2011 in Western Australia at Karijini National Park, followed by some time on the Great Barrier Reef on Hayman Island, then in Byron Bay. I’ve then moved to Sydney where I started working in Manly at QStation until I had the opportunity to join the team at Momofuku Seiobo. I then moved to New Zealand working at Hippopotamus Restaurant and Cocktail Bar with New Zealand Best Sommelier of the Year Maciej Zimny. I then moved to Vancouver, Canada where I worked as a Wine Director and Restaurant Manager for a Champagne Bar. Finally I came back to Melbourne, Australia where I got the position of Venue Manager - Head Sommelier at Syracuse Restaurant and Wine Bar.
Your studies?
I’ve done a Master’s degree in Sport, Human Performance and Nutrition in both France and Canada. After travelling and getting into hospitality and wine, I’ve started my courses with the Court of Master Sommelier. I’ve passed my Intro level in Vancouver, Canada and 3 months later I flew to Seattle, USA to pass my Certified Sommelier exam which I both passed with the highest score. This year I flew up to Sydney to sit my Advanced Sommelier Exam, which is 5 full on days that end with a 3 day exam: theory, service and a blind tasting of 6 wines. I’ve passed my exam on my first attempt. I’m now going to pursue the final stage which is the Master Sommelier Diploma.
Anything else you would like to talk about?
As a Sommeliers, I’m here to take care of the guests. I always love being able to find the perfect bottle that is going to match your expectations, your budget, your dish and if on top of it I can make you try something different that you have never experienced before and that you love, then that makes my job what it’s all about: sharing
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