A Hobart bottle shop is putting a twist on the traditional wine bar with a “reverse BYO” concept that lets customers drink anything from the shelves on site while bringing their own food.
Hop Vine & Still on Murray Street recently upgraded to include a wine bar section, where customers can choose any bottle of wine or beer from the shelves and enjoy it in the bar for a corkage fee.
The corkage is $10 on the first wine bottle or $3 on the first beer can, allowing customers to enjoy retail-priced drinks without the usual bar markup.
If a wine bottle is not finished, drinkers can cork it and take it home.
Owner Laura Bali said the idea was to offer a cheaper alternative to heading out to a bar.
“People can bring any food they want, any takeaway or home-cooked, anything,” Bali said.
“We’ve got a microwave as well if people want to warm it up.”
Regulars have been bringing meals from nearby spots like Urban Greek and Medici pizza to pair with their drinks.
The shop also serves cheese boards, roasted nuts and other simple nibbles, but the focus remains on the drinks.
Bali and her husband took over the Murray Street shop in March last year and have been building the business since.
Her husband works a daytime job before joining the shop around 4:30pm each afternoon to handle the evening trade.
“It’s just the two and a half people operation,” Bali said.
The half person in question is the couple’s nine-month-old daughter Elena, who has become a little icon of the store and draws regular visitors.
Elena has been at the centre of a difficult health battle after she developed mysterious eye problems at six weeks old that left her unable to open her eyes for around three months.
Doctors at the Royal Hobart Hospital and the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne have been unable to pinpoint the cause and the family has been consulting with international specialists in search of answers.
The shop is open from 11am every day, closing at 7pm on Mondays and Tuesdays. 8pm from Wednesday to Saturday and 4pm on Sundays.
Drinks by the glass are available, but buying by the bottle works out cheaper.
