A cellar door where you can buy an array of locally produced wines at wholesale prices has opened its doors in North Wollongong.
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The Wine Hub moved to new premises in Montague Street, North Wollongong, after relocating from Wollongong, where it had operated since February 2020.
Simon Hall is behind the venture, which is a return to the core business of making and selling wine.
While there are a number of breweries and distilleries popping up all over the Illawarra, he said this was the only cellar door in the area.
Mr Hall is a winemaker who works as a contractor at Two Figs Winery at Berry. When he is not producing wine for them, he is working on his own burgeoning wine empire, which includes nine labels under the banner Simall Wines.
The most well-known label, Take a Gander, is available in bottle shops, including Dan Murphy's. He also produces a premium wine, The Proper Gander, and an organic range, Vita Vie, among others.
Visitors to The Wine Hub cellar door can sample these and other wines while enjoying a bite to eat.
"The new premises has a good food preparation area so we can still offer platters and pizzas," he said.
"We have got wine barrels and a pergola, which we are going to decorate with fairy lights, and a divider so it is separate from our wine storage area."
The premises is located in a light industrial precinct occupied by Delano Coffee, Illawarra Brewing Company and Headlands Distilling Co, and he has approval from Wollongong City Council to manufacture wine on the premises, which he plans to do down the track.
His wines are currently manufactured at Two Figs Winery.
For this venture, Mr Hall is concentrating on cellar door tastings and sales.
"I've gone back to what I originally wanted to do, which was to have wine storage and production on one side and open up the other side as a tasting room that's purely focused on wine tastings, functions and events," he said.
"People can come in, taste a range of wines, and have a cheese platter while they're doing their tasting."
He is also keen to teach people about the craft of winemaking.
"I would like to try to put a more educational spin on things I guess. I would like to offer some wine appreciation courses," he said.
Mr Hall said his most popular wine was a melon-flavoured Moscato, closely followed by a chocolate-flavoured port.
Visitors can buy direct at the cellar door, with bottles ranging in price from $24-$43. Wine club members receive a 20 per cent discount.
The Wine Hub is open most Saturdays, 1pm-5pm, for drop-ins or by appointment and some Friday evenings for after-work drinks and pizza.
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Merryn Porter
Journalist with more than 25 years' experience in print and digital media who has covered most news rounds, including health, education, politics (local, state and federal), police and courts, with a special interest in women's and family matters. Highly-skilled interviewer and storyteller.
Journalist with more than 25 years' experience in print and digital media who has covered most news rounds, including health, education, politics (local, state and federal), police and courts, with a special interest in women's and family matters. Highly-skilled interviewer and storyteller.
