Australian Wine Emporium

LOCATION
On the Gloucester Street side of The Australian pub.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Affixed onto the side of The Australian – a pub boasting the oldest liquor license in Australia (1826) – and sitting meekly on the shady asphalt of Gloucester Street in Sydney’s historic Rocks area, Australian Wine Emporium is the wine extension of its approachable parent pub. Bearing Edwardian-style floors, walls and roofs, originally constructed in 1913, this wine bar is a cosy, relaxed space that houses an impressive selection of red and white wine. Having previously served as a bottle shop, the area now holds rustic-looking shelves, from which bottles of red invite visitors to grab a chair and experience their drops in a relaxed, unpretentious environment. Likewise, bottles of white peer out from bottle-shop-esque fridges and tempt Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc fans to sit at one of the bar’s heavy wooden tables.

The menu extends this invitation with a selection of pizzas including the “pepper kangaroo,” the “barbeque emu” or the “coat of arms” (half of each), and other hearty meals such as braised lamb shanks, pies and tomato braised rissoles. Loyal patrons of The Australian may get a feeling of deja vu – aside from a few specials, the menu is identical. Blackboards which peer over guests from an exalted, near-ceiling, position list wine specials and the latest “wine flights” (a selection of 75ml wine tasters which allow guests to sample a range of wines). The bar manager, and trained sommelier, Sam Bailey, is always on hand to make a recommendation, match the food or make pleasant chit-chat as you sip your glass of vino. Perhaps the saddest thing about the Wine Emporium is that it’s only open from Thursday to Saturday or at the request of function-demanding guests.

Agnes Gajewska