Vintage sparkling and Cheds crackers. It isn’t the pairing most people would expect from one of Australia’s leading sommeliers. But for Shanteh Wale, that’s exactly the point.
“I really like a vintage sparkling wine and Cheds,” she tells me. “If you think of something like a beautiful 2013 Swift traditional method sparkling wine with Cheds crackers, I’m a happy person.”
She’s even known to bring her own cheesy crackers to wine shows. Hey, if it works, it works.
After more than a decade at Sydney’s renowned Quay restaurant, where she rose through the ranks to become Head Sommelier, Shanteh has built a career around helping people discover that wine isn’t nearly as intimidating as they think.
Now a wine writer, podcaster, judge and educator, she spends much of her time sharing stories about wine and the people behind it. At this year’s Good Food and Wine Show, she’ll host six tasting sessions covering everything from regional Australian wines and robust reds to food pairings and winemaker meet-and-greets or wine-speed dating sessions. They are essentially more intimate tasting sessions than what you’ll experience on the hectic main floor of the exhibition.
For Shanteh, it’s an opportunity for punters to get to know the people behind the wine in a non-traditional way and ask ordinary questions without getting granular about oenology.
“It’s getting to know four to five producers in really quick succession,” she explains.
“It’s meant to be fun and engaging. You can ask something about their winery or the wine you’re drinking, but it’s meant to be getting to know some of these people because even though they make great wine and they have a brand, they’re also human too, and they’ve usually got some funny stories to tell.”
For Shanteh, the stories matter as much as the wine itself.
“I think people want that connection. They want to support brands where they know who the people are, where they’re located, and if they’re good people.”
Wine still carries a reputation for being intimidating or elitist, something Shanteh believes has held the industry back.
“It’s been kind of the Achilles heel of the wine industry, I think,” she says. “There’s always a place for a masterclass to get it really micro about wine. But if we’re missing the fun element, then we’re missing the fact that the actual point of wine is to bring people together. If we’re missing that part, we’ve really forgotten what it’s all about.”
And in Australia, we don’t have the same rigid rules as the Old World (France, for example). That means our winemakers can be more creative, expressive, and…fun.
“We have the creativity, and we’re a lot more relaxed and fun-loving in our approach to wine,” Shanteh tells me, “When you’re going somewhere like Paris, it can be really difficult to try a few different wines by the glass. And if you go to a restaurant in Australia, some of the most exciting lines are by the glass.”
“We’re inviting people into the world of wine, rather than saying, ‘If you want a serious wine, you’ve got to spend serious bucks.’”
“I feel much more comfortable waltzing into an Australian restaurant or cellar door and knowing that I’m going to kind of be given a big warm smile and them asking, ‘Hey, what do you feel like?’”
That relaxed philosophy doesn’t end at the cellar door. It extends to what ends up on your plate, too. Of course, there are some classic pairings. From steak and red wine, white fish and white wine, or more granular like pinot noir with mushroom risotto. These pairings work, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with other pairings. Like our winemakers, we don’t need to be so rigid.
When I asked her about her go-to unusual wine pairings, she didn’t hesitate. Vintage sparkling and cheesy crackers. I likened it to the craze a few years back of pairing champagne with fried chicken. That particular trend was something that horrified traditionalists, but…it works!
“My gosh, and it’s the kind of dichotomy of those two things: Something that is so accessible against something that’s so inaccessible,” she says.
“I think we need to think more broadly about pairings. I know a lot of chefs who make beautiful fine dining food, and at the end of the day, have Hungry Jack’s. We’re all human; we all have different cravings. Plus, wine can go with everything, bring it on.”
It’s one reason she believes Australians should feel proud of what they’re producing. And, go out and explore emerging wine regions which may not be on your radar. That’s also something she’s aiming to demystify at the Good Food and Wine Show with her regional showcases.
“Maybe it’s the fact that they’re further away from a major city, but there are lots of wine regions emerging,” she tells me. “And often, that’s where you find really excellent value because there’s maybe not so much competition.”
Of course, I asked her what her favourite wine region was, but she wasn’t telling – it would be like choosing her favourite child.
“I’m always looking at some of the regions that perhaps don’t have as long a history or perhaps don’t have the investment from bigger brands. So lots of regions like the Great Southern in Western Australia, the Limestone Coast further down, towards Grove and Mount Benson, and Orange in New South Wales. There are lots of areas that I think probably don’t get the kudos they deserve, but they will eventually.”
She’s equally optimistic about the future of wine, particularly as younger drinkers develop different relationships with alcohol.
“Young people are drinking wine. They just are more mindful, and their values have changed.”
Lower-alcohol styles, alternative packaging and more casual occasions for drinking wine are all part of that evolution.
“We want wine to keep changing with the way that we socially enjoy it.”
For someone who sits on the Halliday Tasting Team — one of the country’s most influential wine panels — Shanteh remains remarkably grounded.
She still receives text messages from friends asking what bottle to order at dinner. She still spends days at home tasting wines with only her dog for company. And she still feels like she’s learning.
“In this industry, there’s never a place where you feel confident to say you know enough,” she says.
“It’s one of the frustrating, but also the most wonderful things about it.”
Ultimately, though, what she loves most is telling other people’s stories.
“I really love to see people just doing what they can every day, even at a financial loss, because they love what they do. Being able to share that with the world and get other people excited about it.”
And perhaps that’s why pairing a packet of Cheds and a glass of sparkling wine isn’t that unusual for Shanteh Wale.
The best wine experience isn’t necessarily the most expensive bottle or the fanciest restaurant. Sometimes it’s simply sharing something delicious with people you love.
As Shanteh puts it: “The actual point of wine is to bring people together.”
If we’re remembering that, perhaps we’re drinking wine exactly as we should.
Check our Shanteh Wale’s tasting experiences at the 2026 Good Food and Wine Shows across Australia. Follow her on Instagram and check out her podcast, Over a Glass, where she interviews winemakers and communicators.
