Around the Bars: a good enough wine list is no longer enough

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Once upon a time, in the not too distant past, a cocktail bar was a cocktail bar. They made cocktails, you drank cocktails and that was that — you could get away with ordering a Gin & Tonic, but other options were minimal. About five years ago, I remember sitting at a highly awarded Melbourne bar and fancying a glass of wine; when I asked to see their list I was told they had a chardonnay or a shiraz, unless I wanted to spring for a bottle of champagne — not particularly inspiring.

While I understand the concept of specialisation, it always struck me as odd that bartenders who would agonise over a 5ml difference in cocktail specs and labour over homemade ingredients put such little thought into other liquids going out over their bar.

“Wine has always been afforded a gravitas that cocktails had to claw back after the day-glo dark ages.”

Perhaps there was an element of self-consciousness there; wine has always been afforded a gravitas that cocktails had to claw back after the day-glo dark ages, and we wanted to prove that cocktails could stand alone as an offering. Prove it we have, with the general quality of cocktails improving exponentially and being woven into the drinking landscape of Australia — the delineation between cocktail bars and other watering holes has softened. In fact, the ‘neighbourhood bar’ has to be the biggest trend of the last couple of years, happy to be all things to all folks and do it well. 

Bar Bellamy in Carlton is a great example. There is some serious cocktail pedigree behind the bar – and the mixed drinks are always on point – but their passion for quality extends to all aspects of their beverage offering, especially the wine. “I think it has been so cool that venues seem to be looking at their drinks offerings more holistically, and it makes so much sense; if you care about food and beverage and people’s overall experience in your space, you want everything to be on point,” says co-owner Danielle Whitehart. 

Taking inspiration from their ‘nostalgic European’ food menu, they gave themselves some parameters: for both red and whites by the glass, they always have one French wine, one old world wild card (usually Italian, but they’re happy to deviate if they find something else delicious), and an affordable Australian which leans more on the natty side (as a nod to the preferences of their Northside clientele). 

“Not being from wine backgrounds, although we’ve always loved drinking it, we’ve tried to educate ourselves but it does feel like such an endless pool of information. We go to trade tastings and talk with producers and suppliers as much as possible. To be honest overall the list definitely reflects our taste in wine.” And they have good taste – there’s something I’m excited to try every time I’m there, and I happily switch between cocktails and wine over the course of a visit in a way that feels really cohesive.

As Danielle highlighted, for bartenders who came up through pure cocktail bars (as opposed to restaurants), the world of wine can feel quite overwhelming. So, how to ensure an interesting and diverse offering to engage your guests, while minimising wastage? I reached out to sommelier Sacha Imrie, who has curated lists for a variety of venues including Bomba, The Builder’s Arms and the Daughter in Law group as well as launching her own bag-in-box wine brand, Hey Tomorrow, for advice.

The wine list has to suit the venue

“It should reflect your general offering in price point and vibe,” says Sacha. If your venue offers food, that's a good place to start. “I think about what sort of flavours, textures and levels of sweetness might compliment the food. When opening Daughter in Law (which serves Indian food) I took a lot of inspiration from the flavour profiles of non-alcoholic drinks that are consumed around India.” Where there is no food, or where wine isn’t a focus in general, “it’s important to make the list easy to navigate, both for the customers and the staff. If there isn’t a wine focused team member on the floor, try not to select wines that are too niche. They can sit on a list forever if there isn’t someone behind them selling it.” This doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with the list, but try to have a grape varietal or region that’s recognisable for your guests. Remember that, unfortunately, you are not just buying for yourself.

Look for value

Be realistic about what wines you list: if your bar’s spend per head is generally around the $20 mark you don’t want to overshoot that for any wines by the glass. Sacha suggests thinking outside the box… or maybe even in the box. “Using alternative packaging (such as bag-in-box, keg, or cans for sparkling), is a great way to offer quality and value to your offerings. Formats like this can offer wines at cheaper prices than the glass bottle equivalent, and you also have reduced product waste (wines aren’t oxidising after opening). You can pass these savings onto the customers, whilst still hitting the margins the venue needs.” The quality of wine available in alternative packaging has greatly increased in recent years, and the sustainability aspect speaks for itself. 

You can also look to good producers in less prestigious regions. Sacha recommends Rutherglen, King Valley, Alpine Valley, Goulburn, and Murray Darling as Australian examples of areas producing great wine with pocket-friendly price tags.

Build slowly

“Don’t overburden yourself with lots of different product lines from the get go. Get an idea for what works for your venue and build from there,” says Sacha. There will always be a bit of hit and miss as you figure out where the demand is, and of course this will change seasonally as well. “Also, if you don’t have a large list, it will be logistically easier if you don’t order from lots of different suppliers. If you’re trying to order six bottles from one place, a case from another, you probably won’t meet minimum order values and will end up paying delivery fees.” 

It also helps to form relationships and gradually build your knowledge base. As Danielle mentioned, attending trade tastings is a great way to try a wide range of wines, and meet the people behind them – it's always easier and more fun to sell a product when you really support it! 

With the wonderful array of wines we have access to in Australia, there’s no excuse for it to be an afterthought any more. And believe me, curating a wine list is just as fun and a lot less work than a cocktail list — it’s a win win!

Around the Bars

• Congratulations to all the winners at the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards, there were plenty of new faces among the old favourites. I’m particularly excited to try Australia’s Best Ready to Serve or Pre-mix (a new category this year as the pre-eminence of RTDs marches on), Yuzu Chu-Hai from Victoria’s own Reed & Co distillery in Bright. It was no surprise that Naught Distillery’s Sangiovese gin took out Best Fruit or Wine Gin once again – their distillery is in Eltham and well worth a visit. And Backwoods was named Champion Victorian Distiller, a massive achievement. Their ryes have long had a place on my shelf, if you haven’t had the pleasure of sampling their wares yet then please do!
• For those of you missing the Black Pearl (i.e. everybody), Ben Hardy and Navarre Fenwick are doing a series of pop ups to showcase their Campari Afterlife drinks for the next few Thursdays. They’ll be at Goodwater this Thursday 8th August, Union Electric Thursday 15th August and then back home to the Attic Thursday 22nd August, 6-8pm every time to coincide with Espolon’s two for one deal. Two for one competition drinks and two for one Ben and Nav? What a deal.
• Everybody’s favourite Guinness and Martini joint, Caretaker’s Cottage, have added a hospo friendly Monday night service to their opening hours. Long live the Monday Fun Day.