When comedian Matt Okine returned to Brisbane from Sydney, where he spent time as a Triple J breakfast radio host, he struggled to find a good spot to buy wine in his neighbourhood. So, he reached out to longtime friend Dan Wilson, who has experience running wine bars in London, and the two set out to launch something together.
“Matt messaged me about a year ago, asking, ‘How hard is it to open a wine shop?’” Wilson tells Broadsheet. “He had just moved back from Sydney, and felt like there was something missing in the neighbourhood. He sent me a photo of the local post office, which was up for lease.”
The result is LPO (which stands for Local Post Office), named after the building’s former tenant. Since taking over, the duo has completely transformed the space. From the outside, it has the charm of a European wine shop with a deep green-grey facade. Inside, natural light streams through the front window, illuminating shelves lined with bottles. A communal table in the centre encourages visitors to sit down for a glass, while a record player behind the counter provides the soundtrack.
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SUBSCRIBE NOWLPO is a wine store, but its licence allows it to sell wines by the glass for guests to sample. As a result, there will always be four whites and four reds available to taste – each of which can also be purchased by the bottle. You might find wines from Gazzetta in Lazio, Julien Courtois in the Loire Valley, and closer to home, Joshua Cooper from the Macedon Ranges.
“If you’re the first one in on a weekend, and nothing’s open yet, you can choose to open something,” Wilson says. “Then we’ll just place a price on it and sell it by the glass.”
Education is a key focus for LPO. Wilson isn’t afraid to crack open a special bottle and sell glasses at cost, just so people can try something new. “We saw an opportunity to open [wines] that never get opened in Brisbane – or, if they do, they’re so expensive that it’s prohibitive for people.”
At the same time, there are plenty of affordable bottles. “I want people to be able to come in, spend less than $20 on a bottle that’s really good, and feel like you can come here daily,” Wilson says.
Looking ahead, there are plans to build a tasting room and a small kitchen out back, where a changing roster of guest chefs will take over for short stints.
LPO
100 Windmill Street, Tarragindi
No phone
Hours
Mon & Tues closed
Wed to Sun midday–8pm
Cafes
Restaurants
Bars
Accommodation
Shop
Broadsheet Pick
Recently Opened
