A new wine experience
A revolving roster of wine and furniture with a consistent crew of skilled staff set the scene for a business with a difference in Uptown.
Words: Anna King Shahab
Photography: Blink Ltd
Liz Wheadon
If you like what has been poured into your glass at Normanby Fine Wines and you like the chair you're sitting on, both of those things could be yours to take home. Dynamism is built into the DNA of the latest edition to the retail and hospitality scene in Uptown. Set to open in May, Normanby Fine Wines was nearing completion on its interior fitout at the time of writing; container loads of bottles were waiting in the wings to fill the custom shelving and a lineup of events to make good use of this spirited space was in the planning.
Encompassing a retail store, café, wine bar and private room, the new business is the culmination of the knowledge and passion honed over decades by Liz Wheadon, a renowned leading light in the wine and retail worlds (she's the current president of Retail NZ). Shortly after farewelling her general manager role at Glengarry, where she had been for 30 years, Liz was approached by the owners of Webb's auction house to lead the charge in building a new and separate business with a difference. In an age when slinging wine is easily done entirely online, the point was to go well beyond the transactional. Liz aimed to add "an element of experience, creating somewhere people feel at home and want to keep coming back to ... a nice space to sit and taste wine surrounded by an incredible collection of art".
The art and the covetable furniture come from just out the back: Webb's main gallery and estate auction house. (Most pieces are for sale, enquire within.) And while there is surely a high value on many of the beautiful items gracing the space, there's a welcoming, homely feel about the place. The coffee machine at the heart of things emits comforting grinding and steaming noises and beyond the croissants and pastries on the counter, vinyl spins on the turntable. The impressively large selection of wine, spirits, sake and beer is all, as the name says, fine, but think again if you think fine inherently means expensive. It simply means every bottle on offer is of excellent quality, even at the lowest price points in store (which start from around $17 for a bottle of wine).
"It's about drinks that are crafted by someone who has cared, put a thought process into it and made something great," says Liz. Boutique producers from around Aotearoa and the world are the key focus and Liz has personally visited many of these in her years travelling the globe in the quest for the best tipples. Staff are skilled in sharing the stories behind products in a way that will feel equally captivating to novices and aficionados.
A deli fridge boasts lots of goodies, including cheese, charcuterie and condiments, and you can purchase bits and bobs to go or nestle into a cosy spot onsite. A menu of seasonal snacks hinges around the kinds of things that taste especially good with a glass of something: premium tinned fish, pickles, pâtés and more. The by-the-glass wine list will constantly rotate - a great excuse to try something new - and there are cocktails, too. "If you'd like to sit down with a bottle of wine," says Liz, "it's a case of 'well, which one would you like?' and it's just the retail price with a pretty small fixed corkage fee, so whether you're buying a $20 bottle or a $380 one, you pay the same for corkage."
She's especially excited about the Champagne offering. Eschewing the common approach of aligning to a Champagne house allows staff to introduce customers to small-scale grower Champagnes. Much like Webb's gallery and auction house, Normanby Fine Wines is a treasure trove of things with fascinating stories built in - with the added benefit of being utterly delicious.
Normanby Fine Wines
Check website for opening hours
31a Normanby Rd
Mt Eden
Phone: +64 22 553 2222
Website: normanbyfinewines.co.nz
Instagram: @normanbyfinewine