Ian Coker has dedicated his life to collecting wine, music and art. Now, with his new East End bar, he’s sharing his passions with the rest of us.
The idea behind Septimus House of Wine & Cheese has been 10 years in the making, and is the “natural progression” of Coker’s interests and love of hosting, he tells Broadsheet.
The 50-seat, two-storey bar sits in a historic Grenfell Street shopfront. The fit-out is pared back with Tasmanian oak, green marble benchtops, and French curtains, which hang alongside the building’s original stained-glass windows. “I picture this as being somewhere where you want to come on a cold winter’s night and curl up around a glass of red wine or a beautiful dessert wine,” Coker says.
Septimus is casual and unpretentious and so is its menu. With the exception of one gin and one beer, it’s just wine – 10 by-the-glass options and 27 by the bottle – and cheese chosen by Say Cheese’s Valerie Henbest. Wines and cheeses can be ordered individually or as one of seven pairings.
Think a rich Hoffman Northern Barossa shiraz, paired with tangy Quickes cloth cheddar from the UK; or a Loire Valley sancerre with a Crottin de Chavignol goat’s cheese, also from the Loire.
“People are nearly as nervous choosing a wine in a restaurant as they are public speaking,” says Coker, who’s designed his wine list to avoid overwhelming patrons who aren’t well-versed in wine.
He hopes he can educate drinkers with his list. “It’s the opportunity to have side-by-side a South Australian shiraz and a French syrah, so you can understand the nuances and differences in the story.”
He’s also broken into his own stash. A dozen bottles from his 800-bottle-strong personal collection are on the menu, and he’s planning to bring more in down the line. Like many a fine drop, the Septimus wine list promises to improve with age.
Septimus House of Wine & Cheese
220 Grenfell Street, Adelaide
(08) 8166 5171
Hours:
Mon & Tues closed
Wed to Sun 11am–midnight
