A Great Southern afternoon at Steve's

Three Great Southern white wines, two new releases and a table set to show each in a different light.

Some wines show their character in the glass. Others come into sharper focus once food arrives.

In September, we spent an afternoon at Steve's in Nedlands with sommelier Matt Coley, bringing together three Great Southern white wines and three considered seafood pairings.

At the centre of the table were two new releases: the 2026 Singlefile Great Southern Fiano and the 2026 Singlefile Single Vineyard Albany Fumé Blanc. Alongside them sat the current 2025 Singlefile Great Southern Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, offering a familiar Western Australian reference point beside two less conventional expressions.

Scallops and market fish met the fiano. Tuna tataki sat beside the fumé blanc. Salmon nigiri completed the table with the semillon sauvignon blanc. Three wines, three different shapes, and a chance to see what each revealed once it moved from the tasting bench to the table.

Steve's, a Nedlands institution built around wine

Steve's has been part of Nedlands since 1908, when the original Nedlands Park Hotel opened as a residential hotel for visitors from the country. After Stephen McHenry purchased it in 1935, the venue became affectionately known as Steve's, a name that has remained part of Perth's western suburbs ever since.

Today, the dining and wine venue at 30 The Avenue sits beside the historic hotel and above an underground cellar. That cellar now underpins a specialist Winestore with a carefully selected collection ranging from back-vintage Burgundy and Bordeaux to Australian wines, large formats and lesser-known finds.

Upstairs, Steve's moves easily between relaxed bar dining and the more formal Winestore Bistro. Its seasonal menu centres on local produce, with modern Australian cooking and Japanese-inspired touches that made the seafood pairings feel entirely at home.

That combination of history, food and a genuine interest in wine made Steve's a natural setting for the afternoon. With Matt preparing each bottle and seafood on the table, the two new releases could be considered as they were intended to be enjoyed: alongside food, and side by side.

Great Southern Fiano, freshness with a little more weight

Fiano is an Italian white grape variety grown primarily in Campania and Sicily. In the Great Southern, it remains a relatively recent addition.

The 2026 Singlefile Great Southern Fiano is soft gold in the glass. Bright citrus and delicate orchard fruit lead, followed by savoury spice and hazelnut. The palate moves through fresh lemon and honeydew melon, held by a gentle viscosity and a lingering nutty finish.

At Steve's, it was paired with scallops and market fish.

The wine's citrus, gentle texture and savoury finish make it well suited to seafood, including the scallops and market fish served at Steve's.

For drinkers exploring Australian fiano wine, this release combines freshness, texture and savoury detail. In addition to seafood, its style is well suited to chicken or a creamy pasta, while retaining a crisp finish.

Albany Fumé Blanc, sauvignon blanc in another register

The 2026 Singlefile Single Vineyard Albany Fumé Blanc takes a familiar variety in a different direction.

The fruit is grown at Chester Pass Vineyard in the Albany subregion of the Great Southern, one of Western Australia's most southerly vineyard settings, where the Southern Ocean helps temper the growing conditions.

Fermentation begins in stainless steel before the wine is transferred to new Bordeaux oak barriques to complete fermentation. It then remains in barrel and on its lees for four months.

The result keeps sauvignon blanc's clarity while introducing another layer of texture. Citrus and guava lead the aromatics, joined by green herb and spice. Grapefruit and lemon carry through the palate, with barrel fermentation bringing a silkier feel, gentle cedar spice and greater breadth through the finish.

At Steve's, the fumé blanc was paired with tuna tataki.

The wine's citrus, herbal notes, texture and gentle cedar spice bring another expression of sauvignon blanc to the table. The varietal character remains clear, while barrel fermentation adds spice, texture and palate weight.

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, a familiar Great Southern blend

The third wine at the table was the current 2025 Singlefile Great Southern Semillon Sauvignon Blanc.

The blend is approximately 60 per cent semillon and 40 per cent sauvignon blanc, with the two varieties fermented separately before blending. Guava, gooseberry and fresh green pea lead the aromatics, followed on the palate by citrus, snow pea, mineral detail and a long, refreshing finish.

At Steve's, it was served with salmon nigiri.

With salmon nigiri, the wine's citrus, mineral detail and gentle roundness sat alongside a richer seafood dish. Where the fiano offered texture and savoury nuttiness, and the fumé blanc found breadth through barrel fermentation, the semillon sauvignon blanc remained bright, aromatic and distinctly Western Australian.

Three wines, one table

Tasted together, the three wines showed three different approaches to white wine from the Great Southern.

The fiano brought citrus, orchard fruit and quiet savoury detail. The Albany Fumé Blanc placed sauvignon blanc in another register, with oak and lees adding breadth without losing freshness. The semillon sauvignon blanc offered a familiar Great Southern reference point, driven by aromatics, acidity and length.

At Steve's, those differences sat side by side at the table.

It is one of the reasons we value working with restaurants, sommeliers and wine-focused venues. A considered pairing can make the structure and character of a wine easier to understand.

For the 2026 Singlefile Great Southern Fiano and the 2026 Singlefile Single Vineyard Albany Fumé Blanc, Steve's was a fitting place to begin: not with a tasting note, but with a plate beside the glass.

And for the 2025 Singlefile Great Southern Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, it was a reminder that even a familiar wine can show a different side when the food changes.