First Look: Ruby’s Wine Shop, a One-Stop Shop for Tasting Wine and Patting Dogs Opens in Albion

Tamara Husler is a healthcare professional by trade, and a wine lover after hours. Now she’s drawing on that passion – and her upbringing in Schaffhausen, Switzerland – with  Ruby’s Wine Shop, which opens in Albion today.

“I really love to host,” she says. “I’ve always been the friend who has people over for wines and dinners. I wanted to do that on a bigger scale, learn more about wine, and hang out with my dog.”

Ruby, her border collie, will join her in the shop, and Husler encourages customers to bring their dogs in, too.

Ruby’s Wine Shop joins a growing list of wine store-bar hybrids across Brisbane. Earlier this year, LPO opened in Tarragindi with a focus on rare and interesting natural wines. It followed venues like Alfred St Bar & Bottlo, Wineism, Barrels and Stills, Arcade Wine and Malt Traders, where you can buy a bottle to take home or drink in.

When it came to navigating Queensland’s strict liquor licensing laws, Husler turned to LPO’s Dan Wilson for guidance. “When I spoke to a licensed professional, they said it wasn’t going to happen,” Husler says. “Then Dan opened LPO, and I [asked] him to talk me through how he did it. He’s been an amazing mentor.”

Husler is launching with around 100 bottles, all sourced from small producers committed to minimal intervention winemaking. A rotating selection of six to eight bottles will always be open for tasting.

You might find domestic wines from Konpira Maru and Momento Mori, alongside international drops from Austria’s Gut Oggau and France’s Domaine Fumey-Chatelain. There will also be a focus on Queensland producers, including Crusher, Unnatural Urges and Knucklehead Wines.

The space itself is warm and inviting. A 2.7-metre timber table, sourced from Facebook Marketplace, sits at the centre of the room. Polished wooden floorboards, shelves lined with bottles, and a rust-coloured feature wall gives it a relaxed, lived-in feel. “I wanted it to feel like walking into a friend’s living room,” Husler says.

While Ruby’s Wine Shop doesn’t have a food license, you can order from next-door Turkish restaurant Olive Thyme and eat in or even bring your own food. Husler is considering adding a selection of packaged snacks down the track.

Over the coming months, Husler plans to introduce wines from her native Switzerland. “When I started Ruby’s, I really wanted to have Swiss wine, but they don’t usually export their wine,” she says. “Then I met a guy importing Swiss wine and the timing has worked out perfectly.”

Ruby’s Wine Shop

3/297 Sandgate Road, Albion

No phone

Hours:

Wed 4pm–9pm    

Thu to Sun midday–9pm

@rubys_wine_shop