Out & About – Wine & Larder and Arcade Wine

Wine & Larder and Arcade Wine 

Sugar Cane Arcade, Waterworks Rd, West Ashgrove  

Pretending I didn’t have work in the morning, I visited two wine bars on Thursday night in Ashgrove’s Sugar Cane Arcade.  

Situated on the corner of the Arcade and Waterworks Rd, Wine & Larder balances sophistication with homeliness.  

With over 30 wines to choose from by the glass, all offered in plain-English descriptive categories on the menu, we were able to choose exactly what we wanted – a dark and deliciously bitter skin-contact Riesling from the Clare Valley, and a floral French gamay.  

The food was potentially better than the wine. Made to be shared, each dish featured a collection of fresh, high-quality ingredients that complemented each other perfectly.  

And right next door, Arcade Wine is like a cosy, candlelit lounge room with floor-to-ceiling wine shelves. The bar specialises in Italian and a few French wines. An Italian wine specialist provided us with a completely personalised and educational wine-tasting experience.  

Impressively, his colleague remembered my partner’s wine choice from last time, so suggested the “next step” in his quest to find what he likes in a wine.  

When visiting Arcade Wine, do yourself a favour and let them choose your wine and pair it with their food. We are excited to visit again for a pairing, as part of the Italian tradition.  

Author: Evie Drinnan  |  Photos credits: Wine and Larder, and Arcade Wine