Handpicked Cellar Door

Handpicked Wines owns vineyards in Mornington, Yarra and Barossa valleys, Margaret River, Tasmania, Central Otago and Italy.

With wineries around the world, the traditional cellar door approach (where a winery has a retail shop on-site) doesn’t reach enough of the Handpicked Wines audience. So it’s brought the cellar door to the city, opening in a warehouse space in Chippendale’s Kensington Street.

The by-the-glass menu has 40 wines in three levels of quality, from everyday to premium. There are also 30-minute wine tastings at which customers can try a few varieties with a sommelier.

The food menu is a light accompaniment to the wine list. Created by Occello in Surry Hills, it’s split into charcuterie such as salami and prosciutto, and cheeses from around the world: soft, washed-rind, hard and blue.

The high-ceilinged brick warehouse has a long history in the booze trade, starting life as the original Carlton & United brewery. Tall windows have been cut into the scrubbed brick front, letting in a cool light from the street. An original “No smoking” sign remains painted high on one wall.

The minimalist, warm design involves natural wood stools along curved countertops in the centre of the room. It’s here that sommeliers host tastings. The seating area has tables in front of comfortable banquets. Opposite the seating area, glass-fronted fridges, shelves and tables display rows of wine bottles for sale.