First Look: Peaches Wine Bar Is the “Older Goth Sister” of Skinnys

Skinnys is a light-filled retro diner with a canary-yellow coffee machine, mustard-hued tables and tomato-red signage. It opened two years ago in a former Preston milk bar and became a local favourite for its chicken-salt hash browns, American-inspired sandwiches and nostalgic spiders.

Now, owners Genevieve Bruwer and Jamal Nicoll have opened what Bruwer calls Skinnys’s “older goth sister” – Peaches, a wine bar just down the road.

The vibe was largely inspired by Nicolls’s mum. “She’s lived a very hard life, but she’s very nurturing and loving,” he says. “That’s the same vibe that [Peaches] has. It’s very dimly lit, it feels very cosy, and everything is from the heart.”

Terracotta walls are lined with an eclectic, growing collection of glassware and open access artwork in second-hand frames. Rows of candles sit atop the beer taps, casting a flickering glow around the room at night. The centrepiece is a bespoke Tasmanian oak bar top designed by local furniture maker Andy Ward, which the couple hopes will stand the test of time.

Peaches is casual, and Nicoll sees it as “drinks with food, not food with drinks”. There are no pairings here – just rock up, order a drink and have it with whatever looks good on the menu.

There’s a strong focus on local winemakers at the moment, as well as a selection of natural wines. Some picks – like a sustainable skin-contact from Garbe Vino and a grenache blend from South Australia’s Jauma – are the work of the couple’s hospo mates. You’ll also find lo-fi labels such as Fin, Doom Juice and Mdi Wine. Plus, a cocktail list covering classics like Negronis and Martinis.

The menu has been in the works for a long time, and Bruwer says some of the dishes have been tucked away in her notes app since 2020. Heavily inspired by French and Italian cooking, Nicoll puts out appetisers like a crudité platter and crostini topped with pickled mussels. There’s house-made pasta served with vegan sauces and larger plates including a bavette steak with cafe de Paris sauce and butterfly fish with Nicoll’s spin on a beurre blanc, made with preserved garlic shoots. Choosing dessert is simple – there’s just one option: an Italian meringue with raspberry coulis and chocolate crémeux.

Before Skinnys, Bruwer ran daytime venues and Nicoll ran bars including Lily Blacks and Holy Grail. “Skinnys was ultimately my goal, and a bar has always been Jamal’s goal,” Bruwer tells Broadsheet.

Most days, the couple divide and conquer. You might run into Bruwer at Skinnys in the morning and see Nicoll behind the bar at Peaches that same night. “We kind of joke and say, ‘Now we have two under two’ – like two toddlers,” says Bruwer.

Peaches Wine Bar
901 High Street, Thornbury
No phone

Hours:
Wed & Thu 3pm–11pm
Fri & Sat 3pm–midnight

@peaches.wine.bar