Wineries in Australia have had to fight to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive wine market, and a new $150-$250 per-person wine bar is giving them a chance to try and do it again.
The Wine Bar in Sydney’s Hyde Park opened its doors to the public on Monday, giving the industry a fresh start.
It’s the second Sydney winery to open a wine shop in less than a year, after the first opened in May this year.
The opening of the Wine Bar marks a new chapter in the Sydney wine scene.
The first was the opening of The Wine Cellar in 2011, which opened the doors of the then-popular Sydney cafe, and it was followed by the Sydney Wine Bar.
This time around, the Sydney branch of Wine Bar aims to provide wine lovers with an affordable alternative to the more expensive wine bars that dominate the market.
The store has two wine bars on offer, each selling up to 12 bottles of each style of wine.
They will sell up to $100 worth of wine each, and each bottle will cost $50.
The Wine Cellars at Hyde Park, the second wine bar in Sydney to open, is owned by the same owners as the first Wine Bar and the first winery in Sydney.
Owner John Boulton says the new establishment will have a “much better atmosphere and a lot more people”.
“There’s a bit of competition with what we’ve got in the market and we’re trying to take advantage of that,” he said.
The new Wine Bar will also offer customers a more intimate experience, with tables arranged in the back.
“The main part of it is the wine room, but there’s also a small cafe that’s very nice, where people can sit and have a chat,” Mr Boulson said.
He says the Wine Cellaro is more expensive than the Hyde Park Wine Bar, but he hopes it can attract more customers.
“There are a lot of people who like wine bars and have been around for a long time and want a place where they can go and have their beer and a pint and not have to go through the whole experience of a traditional bar,” he explained.
“This is something that’s a lot easier to get into.”
The Wine Club, which is set to open in early 2019, will be the first wine bar to offer wines from all of Sydney’s wine regions.
The Beer Bar will be another new location in Sydney, with owners planning to open their first beer bar in October 2019.
The owner of the new Wine Club says there’s a “pretty good mix” of styles available in the Wine Club’s wine selection.
“We’ve got a wide range of wines, from the classics like Cabernet Sauvignon, to the new stuff, like Chardonnay, to a few more seasonal wines,” he told ABC Sydney.
The second Wine Bar opened in Melbourne in April, but the Beer Bar won’t open until 2021.
“So it’s really a great opportunity to start that,” Mr Stelmach said.
“A lot of our wines are still in the bottle and the Beer has to be served at a table in the pub, so it’s very much a different experience to the wine bar.”
He says there are currently about 150 Wine Bar locations across the country.
“It’s a very competitive market and it’s the first time we’ve opened our own bar,” Mr Tullock said.
The Beer Club will be open to all ages, but for those who prefer a quieter experience, the Wine Room will also be open for wine consumption.
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