Glou

It’s tempting to call Glou a bar and bottle shop. That is, until you realise all the bottles are empty. While wine on tap isn’t all that novel these days, this sustainable wine store and tasting room goes one up. It sells vino exclusively from kegs – doing for wine what growlers do for beer. Just pay for a reusable glass bottle (either half, one or two litres), choose one of the on-tap wines, and off you go.

Glou glou is a French expression that roughly translates to “glug glug” in English. It’s the sound of drinking wine with enthusiasm – like when you’re at a sunny picnic with your mates and that first glass goes down a little too easy. Think Limus Wine's pinot noir or Fin Wines' Slurpy Boi shiraz rosé.

For Glou’s owners Ron Davis (Samuel Pepys, Le Pont Wine Store) and Rahel Goldmann (who’s worked the floor and helped with the wine roster at Ides), it’s a way to sidestep the environmental pitfalls of traditional wine packaging – and support the sustainable initiatives of the environmentally conscious winemakers they partner with.

The pair uses refillable Keykegs (developed in the Netherlands), which are topped up directly from producers’ wine barrels. Beyond waste-reduction, this approach also cuts out factors that increase the price of wine: bottles, labels, corks, distribution centres.

Glou has a clean, minimalist feel, with high ceilings and white walls that give the space – dotted with plants and monochrome artworks – a welcoming airiness.

While wine to-go is the main game, you can also prop up on the deck and order some crowd-favourite cocktails, like the Native Negroni and Will To Live. Hungry? Snack on a vegan and vegetarian cheese plate or nuts.