MeIt’s late Friday afternoon outside Brisbane, and it’s about time ‘drinking during the day’ turns into a more respectable ‘fake’ drink. We sit at a communal table, enjoying wine with strangers and an upbeat playlist that winds through decades and genres. We are not a bar, pub or restaurant. Rather, we are in the store. Specifically, a wine shop.
Bottle O in Queensland was a quick stop on our way somewhere. Old-school chains may still be weekend ‘smash-and-grab’ places, but more and more independent shops in Brisbane are embarking on wine store-bar hybrids with a more Italian flair. increase. Enoteca.
Sommelier and winemaker Danilo Ducelli took over Ashgrove’s Arcade Wines at Retro Arcade four months ago. He is from Northern Italy, aperitif Time for locals to gather Enoteke Even small towns live for catching up with neighbors, pre-dinner drinks, and always looking for something to eat.
“It’s very unusual in Italy to have a glass of wine without a little something to eat,” he says, setting down a round of bread topped with anchovies and homemade salsa verde.
As we wine, many of our customers engage with Ducelli asking for recommendations or reporting on previous purchases. Some stay for a while, grabbing a stool at the table or sitting on the sofa and enjoying a glass. Next to us is a couple reminiscing about a recent trip to a winery in Tuscany.
“My aim is to get to know my customers and educate them about wine,” Duseli says. he is not alone.
A similar spirit exists at Wineism in Albion, Grape Therapy in the CBD, Barbossa in South Brisbane, Baedeker in Fortitude Valley and Honor Avenue Cellars in Graceville.
“Since the passage of the Wine Industry Act in 1994, there has been an opportunity to combine a wine store and a wine bar, but what people are looking at these days is probably all the wines that have been developed in the last few years. An interest in craftsmanship,” says Matthew Jones, Liquor Licensing Specialist in Queensland.
The store uses a “wine merchant license,” which allows the establishment to take wine home or sell it by the glass. This license was created specifically to support the Queensland wine industry and the grant is intended to actively promote the sale and promotion of Queensland wine, or, in some cases, the production of wine itself. It depends on the venue contributing to the There are currently about 20 companies in Queensland using this license.
“This is certainly the cheapest and one of the only ways you can participate in the takeout liquor market. [in Queensland]’ says Jones. “The alternative is of course a hotel license, which requires you to own the actual hotel.”
Wine Experience owner Michael Nolan added a bar 18 months ago after running a wine retail store in Rosalee for 16 years.
“I fell in love with small bars in Spain and other parts of Europe. was,” he says.
The Wine Experience’s small, 12-seat bespoke bar moves Wednesday through Sunday at 3pm. The sidewalk has a few additional tables for drinkers and diners.
“For us, the bar was about building community,” says Nolan. “People come, we get to know them and build loyalty. People stop by after shopping, before going out to a restaurant or a movie, after an afternoon.”
Regular wine masterclasses are held, with up to 50 glasses at a time, and there are always two or three Queensland wines, plus some that are “a bit esoteric and hard to come by,” he says. Nolan says.
“And of course you can bring wine from the shelf and drink it here for a $30 service charge. Compared to the margin you’d have to pay for the same bottle at a restaurant, that’s a big savings.”
Ian Trinkle, owner of Albion’s Wineism, is a former sommelier, as are all his shop staff. Trinkle opened in December last year. Long, tiled communal tables dominate the shop and are used for tastings, but also for the evening crowds to eat and drink.
It’s the one-on-one engagement he cherishes most.
“It’s amazing how adventurous people are today,” says Trinkle. “People really want the experience and they want to talk about wine. It’s great to be able to say let’s do it.
