[VIC] Warriors of Wine – Fundraising Long Lunch – MELBOURNE

Warriors of Wine returns to Melbourne on Sunday 21 June for a unique and interactive dining experience, bringing together three top Melbourne sommeliers in a friendly yet competitive challenge.

We are delighted to announce this year’s competitors:

• Lisa Harris (Cardwell Cellars)
• Marco Oliveri (Reine and La Rue)
• Elisa Perissotto (Joval Wines)

Over a three-course lunch, each ‘warrior’ will carefully select and present a wine to pair with each dish. At the end of each course, guests will rank the wine pairings using a Brownlow-style voting system:

• 3 tokens for their favourite pairing
• 2 tokens for their second choice
• 1 token for their third choice

The Sommeliers Australia committee will count the tokens at the end of each round and announce the course winner. The sommelier with the most votes overall will be crowned Warrior of Wine Melbourne 2026.

Beyond the competition, this event is a critical fundraiser for Sommeliers Australia, supporting its ongoing work in the industry. The afternoon will also feature an auction and raffle, with the chance to take home exceptional wine-related goodies and hospitality experiences.

Join us at the Panama Dining Room for an afternoon of celebrating the craft of the Sommelier, outstanding food and wine, and spirited competition – all for a great cause.

Further information:

Timing: Doors will open from 12pm for aperitifs, with lunch starting at 12.30pm which will conclude around 4pm.

Seating: Seating will be on shared tables, with seating allocated on the day.

Menu: A set three-course menu, plus cheese course. Please ensure dietary requirements are made known at the time of booking.

More about this year’s Melbourne Warriors:

Lisa Harris is the Wine Buyer and Venue Manager at Abbotsford’s Cardwell Cellars, bringing over a decade of experience in hospitality. Her career began in London before evolving across Melbourne’s dynamic dining scene. She spent three years at the three-hatted Amaru in Armadale, where she developed a deep appreciation for wine pairing within a degustation context. At Cardwell Cellars, Lisa curates a constantly evolving, geographically driven wine selection, with a particular focus on the diversity and character of Central and Eastern European wines. Driven by curiosity and a commitment to ongoing learning, she continues to refine her craft while creating thoughtful, engaging wine experiences for her guests.

Marco Oliveri born in Torino, Italy, Marco Oliveri began his career seven years ago in a traditional Michelin-starred Piedmontese restaurant while completing his studies with the Associazione Italiana Sommelier. Now based in Australia, he is Senior Sommelier at Reine & La Rue. A Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, currently preparing for the Advanced level, Marco sees wine pairing as the purest expression of his craft—where precision meets intuition in the synergy between food and wine.

Elisa Perissotto Italian-born, Elisa moved to Australia in 2014 and quickly found her place on the restaurant floor. Since then, she has built an impressive career across some of Sydney and Melbourne’s most respected dining rooms, including Grossi Florentino, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, and Gimlet at Cavendish House. At Gimlet, she played a key role in the opening team and helped shape a wine program that was awarded Australia’s Best Wine List of the Year in 2024. An Advanced Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, Elisa remains a storyteller at heart, now bringing that same energy and perspective to her role representing Joval Wines.