Now pouring: Vera Wine Newcastle
When owners of Vera Wine, Josh and Florence made the sea change to sunny Newcastle in 2021, they were quick to notice a gap in the market.
“We found that many of our favourites wines and producers were not represented in local bottle shops. We quickly realised that other people felt the same way and so within a few months we had a plan to open our own wine shop,” explains Florence.
Fast forward to April 2022 and Vera Wine was born. With a focus on local and independent suppliers, 90% of the bottle shop is organic, biodynamic or sustainably farmed.
And, there’s an entire section of the shop dedicated to LoFi wines - natural wine lovers, rejoice!
Image credit: @verawine
While it is all about the wine - Vera Wine is also about community and conversation. They offer public tasting every Saturday from 12 - 2 pm with guest producers and distributors pouring their wine till bottles are empty - you can keep an eye on their Instagram for the next tasting.
Expect mini crash courses on different wine-making processes e.g. What does biodynamic really mean? And, introductions to varieties you may not have heard of.
Florence and Josh encourage you to come along, try something new and take a bottle away to enjoy in the sunshine while picnicking at the park. Sounds like the perfect afternoon, right?
As well as knowing a thing or two about wine - they were more than happy to share a unique pairing that is a must-try: Grower Champagne and french fries - sounds like we have dinner sorted.
Grower Champagne generally refers to wines from the Champagne region of France that are made and bottled by the same person who grew the grapes - expect a drop that’s a little wilder and a lot more interesting than your OG Champagne.
Naturally, we had to ask them what they are drinking at the moment. You will find Florence drinking Paola Medina 'Finolis' Fino en Rama 2015 and Josh’s pick is Pooley Cooinda Vale Pinot Noir 2021.
Image credit: @verawine
And last but not least, their top Winter wine recommendations?
“Sonnen Plenty White Chardonnay 2021 it’s super complex, full of umami notes - the perfect winter white and Clos Cibonne Tibouren Rose 2019 - savoury, moreish, and structured,” comments Florence.
We will take a case of each, thanks.
You can find Vera Wine at 67 Beaumont St, Hamilton NSW 2303.
