One of Australia’s greatest independent retailers, East End Cellars gave their customers the drink in and graze option a couple of years back, and now that experience has been elevated with Josh Lansley turning out sophisticated bistro dishes made from local produce.
That move enabled the expansion from a more or less traditional bricks and mortar retailer into a whole new sphere, which saw the construction of the Tasting Room, thereby discouraging regular customers from leaving the shop until they absolutely have to. You can expect to find the usual wine-bar suspects here, with cured meats and cheeses imported directly from France and Spain, and an array of terrine, pâté and the like. Along with a selection of fine toasted sandwiches and platters to share.
That food offering has been ramped up even more of late, with chef Josh Lansley (Press Food and Wine) taking on the role of lifting the grazing and snacking selection to more of a restaurant offering. “Josh has redefined the food offerings at East End Cellars by drawing from the best of our local small producers to deliver balanced, sophisticated, quality food that offers exceptional value,” says manager and wine buyer Mathieu Smeysters.
All of this, naturally, is to support the wine, which can be taken by the glass from a broad-ranging selection of 30-odd to coughing up a very reasonable $15 corkage fee to access anything from the many thousands of bottles available in the cellar. The cellar ticks all the boxes you may expect for a South Australian wine retailer, but it ranges wide, too, with bottlings from pretty much everywhere where grapes are grown (and at all price points), including a range of exclusive imports, mainly from Burgundy, Champagne and Piedmont.
“Our wine list caters to people with limited budgets all the way to those that can afford our premium Coravin pours,” says Smeysters. “Whether you want a $9 glass of Pinot Noir or a $180 glass of Grange 2005, we have it all. We attempt to cover relevant examples and styles from across the world but with a heavy focus on Australia. We do not shy away from recognisable brands but also champion small producers with limited exposure. We believe in the educational aspect that we have as a high-end retailer and wine bar.”
Bar owner and chef Adam Robinson previously placed food first in his priorities, but since opening alt Wine Bar, he’s designing food as the supporting act to beverages for the first time in his career – and he’s loving it. He built this vision after finding a shopfront in busy King William Road, in the affluent Adelaide suburb of Hyde Park, which has great bakeries, cafes and restaurants. “What was missing was the best type of wine bar offering a cheeky glass for locals.”
This cosy wine shop/bar is a buzzing lo-fi wine mecca that spills into the much larger outdoor area, with coffee and pastries in the morning, and simple wine-friendly snacks from where they leave off.
A proper pub done right, but it’s much more than that, with a formidable collection of wine to complement the beer and burgers – there’s chargrilled local chook and braised lamb, too. In the tradition of the Exeter and Victory hotels, this is a classic in the making.
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