Peters Wine Shop in Downer | beer and spirits shop

Peters Wine Shop

Locality: Downer

Phone: +61 2 6174 1912

Address: Shop 2 / 2 Frencham Place 2602 Downer, ACT, Australia

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• beer and spirits shop
• Wine, beer and spirits shop

25.01.2022 Another quick reminder that we'll be opening some terrific wines from Lerida Estate Wines Canberra tomorrow afternoon. The flagship Shiraz Viognier will be here in all its glory, along with a number of other top drops from this benchmark local maker. We're in the middle of a torrential downpour at the moment, but we've been told to expect bright sunshine all day tomorrow. So come on down to Downer, any time after 2 o'clock, and try some exciting vino. Bring your friends, too, and make an event of it!

24.01.2022 Good evening everyone, and thanks to all the good folks who came in for our tasting last weekend. We're doing it all again this Sunday - rain, hail or shine - and, with any luck, we might even get to toast a bit of healthy drizzle... In the meantime, it just occurred to us that we have an anniversary to celebrate. Or, an anniversary of sorts, anyway. Without even really noticing, we've been here a year! October 2018 was the month we opened our doors here in Downer Square. The... last piece of the puzzle for the refurbished Downer Shops, and the first actual shop. So far... It has been a wild ride, to be sure. Lots of highs, and one or two not-so-highs. But never a dull moment... There are plenty of people to thank, especially family and close friends. But they all know who they are, so we won't embarrass anyone by naming names. There also a few other significant people who have helped along the way, and we are more than happy to drop some names in this part of the story. Not least of the reasons being that some of these folks are also in business, here in Canberra, and they are all working their buns off. All of them doing their best to make an honest living in a difficult business environment. So, in the time-honoured tradition of supporting our mates, we will now indulge in some shameless cross promotion... We can start with the local volunteers who make up the Downer Community Association. Their vigilance and industry help to keep the wider world apprised of happenings in our quiet little suburb. Then there is Tim, from Page Bottler, and David Tate, from Tate Pictures, who have both proffered regular advice and consistent encouragement. There is Trev, and his team, from Trevs At Dickson, who have kept me superbly well fed at times when I have been too tired to feed myself. And then we have Joe and Mark, from Capital Liquor and Bev, who always send my stock swiftly and uncomplainingly. There are many more, of course, especially those of you walk through our doors every day. You are our customers, and our supporters. Our recommenders. Our nourishers. Our friends. All of you, who come from Downer, and beyond. Even from far-flung outposts like Woden and Tuggeranong. Thank you to all of you. Here's to the next 12 months!

24.01.2022 Good evening everyone, and welcome to a weekend without football. Or, at least, a weekend without Rugby League and Aussie Rules. First in a long time, and probably about time... I just wanted to share a couple of photos I saw last night. They were taken out the front of a house in Downer, just over in Blacket Street, about 10 minutes' walk from my shop. They are photos of a fridge. A hand-me-down fridge, of sorts, acquired by a group of young women who live in the aforementio...ned house. They wanted a fridge, they knew someone who wanted to get rid of a fridge, and so this particular fridge found its way into their small domestic kitchen. They put it in the corner, and they turned it on, and... It didn't work. There was gnashing of teeth, and wringing of hands, and then they had an idea. They would take it outside, this white elephant masquerading as a refrigerator, and they would make it useful. They would give it a paint job - sort of Jackson Pollock meets Banksy - and they would fill it with books. They would fill it with all sorts of books, and they would create a Street Library. They would invite neighbours and friends to borrow the books, perhaps swap a few, maybe contribute a few originals. There would be sharing. Sharing of books, obviously, but also sharing of ideas, and stories, and goodwill. There would be community spirit; there would be encouragement for people to walk up and down the street and talk to each other. And part of all this fostering of community spirit is to support your local bottle shop. Which these young women have done, with energy and enthusiasm. They have all come into my shop, on a regular basis, and they have regularly bought interesting wines. They are particularly keen to support Canberra District wines, and they have sent their friends in to see me as well. And now they have put my name on their fridge. Thank you ladies. It's a privilege to be there!

21.01.2022 Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to the real Black Friday. You know, the one where you avoid black cats and dodgy ladders, not the one where you blindly follow American shopping habits! We have another special back vintage of local wine for you to taste tomorrow, this time a riesling from a tiny vineyard near Braidwood. The 2010 Half Moon Riesling won the trophy for Best Wine of the Show at the 2012 Canberra Regional Wine Show, and it should be drinking beautifully as it ...approaches its 10th birthday. It was made by Alex McKay, of Collector Wines, who also made the outstanding 2009 Quarry Hill Wines Shiraz we opened last Saturday. So, another feather in the cap for Alex, another notch on the belt, another impressive highlight in the CV... Whichever cliche you care to embrace, you won't want to miss a chance to try this. All you have to do is to come into Downer tomorrow, any time after 10 o'clock in the morning, and buy a bit of wine. Around $20-$25 will get you in the game, and it will give you a chance to brag to your friends. You can tell 'em you got to sample some Canberra wine history, and they didn't!

18.01.2022 Hello everyone, and congratulations on getting to the last day of January. I almost wrote "Good afternoon" at the start, but it almost sounded facetious. If not downright cynical. The temperature got to 41 a few hours ago, and might go higher. The wind has picked up, the haze has thickened. A state of emergency has been declared. We're already facing our most dangerous fire conditions since 2003, when people were killed and homes were destroyed. We can only cross our fingers ...and hope that friends in the southern suburbs can stay safe. It seems a little intemperate to suggest that we might feel like a drink. Even if we do. Just something to help us cool down and keep calm. So we're here in Downer if you need us, until at least 7 o'clock tonight, and then right through the weekend. Let's hope the rain tumbles down on Sunday - just to freshen things up before our kids go back to school next week...

16.01.2022 Good afternoon everyone. Just a quick update to let you know that we 're still healthy, we're still open, and we're trading all through the long weekend. So, regular hours, meaning 10am till 7pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. A 1pm start on Monday, still closing at 7pm, then 10 till 7 from Tuesday onwards. We'd normally shut on Good Friday, and then do shorter days for the rest of Easter, but "normally" doesn't apply to anything this year. In other years we'd be catching up... with family and friends, playing with grandsons in the park, watching the footy. But not this year. We'll be doing our best to stay safe, keeping everything clean, making sure no one gets too close to anyone else. And we're here if you need us.

16.01.2022 Another update, while we're in the mood, and another chance to plug our sensational Yuletide giveaway. Just come into our shop, any time between now and 24 December, and get yourself in the draw to win a fabulous Christmas hamper! The basket was made, just for us, by local artist Genevieve Huard. You can find examples of Genevieve's work on her website, Isn't She Clever. And, once you get on to her site, you'll get to see that she really is very clever... In the basket you wi...ll find a number of iconic wines, including the most famous Canberra wine of them all. This is, of course, the world-famous Clonakilla Wines Shiraz Viognier. And not just any Clonakilla SV, but the almost mythical 2013. The 2013 vintage is universally lauded as one of the top 2 or 3 years for Canberra shiraz in the 21st century. When you consider that the current release of this wine is 2018, and that it sells - deservedly - for well over $100 a bottle, you can well imagine the value in winning a bottle of the 2013! And the extraordinary value in our hamper does not stop there. There are more wonderful wines, and we'll tell you more about them in the next little while, but we can also offer you a food voucher at Canberra's best cafe - Trevs At Dickson. This is a contemporary dining experience of the highest order, and the Trevs regulars are only too happy to share their love! All of this can be yours if you come into our shop and buy your festive bottles over the next couple of weeks. Just complete your purchase, print your details on the receipt, and we'll pop your name in the box. Somebody has to win the prize - and it might as well be you!

16.01.2022 Hello everyone, and congratulations on getting to the end of another working week. Hot and windy again today, and smelly too. Though thankfully the haze has lifted now, and the smoke has drifted away. Always somewhat unnerving to hear experts telling us that "the fires are burning out of control", but "there is no danger, and no need to worry". Anyway, we're here again tomorrow, and we've got another treat for you. Not an old wine this time, but certainly a rare one. A local ...pinot noir, made by our very own Nobel prize winner, Brian Schmidt. Brian only makes a hatful of wine, all of it pinot, from a very small vineyard out near Sutton. Hard to imagine that he's got time to play in a vineyard, having to fit it in between running the ANU, and pursuing his award-winning research, and spending time with his wife... But pinot is one of his many passions, and he does a very fine job with it. You need to be on the mailing list to have half a chance of getting any, and you need to press the "buy" button within about an hour of the email leaving Brian's computer. But... If you come into Downer tomorrow, you'll have a chance to try some. Just buy a bit of wine, about $25 worth should be enough, and you can taste a truly rare local drop. And then you'll have perennial bragging rights when you tell your friends about the experience!

15.01.2022 Good afternoon everyone, and Happy Friday. I might also say Happy May Day, for anyone who celebrates this rather eccentric occasion. The 1st of May is an important date for many people, and for many reasons, but it is particularly pertinent this year. Especially for wine lovers, and even more especially for Canberra wine lovers. The Grand Old Man of Canberra wine would have been 100 today.... Edgar Riek was born on this day, back in 1920, just as Australia was starting to recover from our first pandemic. An irony which is quite striking in this time of COVID-19, and which would not have been lost on the man himself. I did wonder about the appropriateness of posting something on my shop page; I thought it might have been better on my personal page. But a friend told me to put it here because more people would notice it. Maybe she's being kind... Anyway... Edgar Riek was the most brilliant individual I have ever known, or am ever likely to know. He tilted at windmills, he provoked conversation, he challenged convention. He encouraged young winemakers, he celebrated our past, he embraced our future. He did more for genuine wine appreciation in this town than anyone else has done, before or since. And he would be thoroughly bemused by the notion that on this day, of all days, his friends are unable to share a drink. The two photos here are both symbolic. One of them shows an empty bottle of Edgar's sherry, and it was taken not long after we lost him in 2016. The other photo shows a bottle of his saffron liqueur, complete with his own handwritten notation on a sticky label, and this one was taken earlier today. I wrote 08/15 on the label, to indicate that he gave it to me in August of 2015. I still have other bottles, of this and other liqueurs, much older than this; they are still fresh and flavoursome and fabulous to drink. Just to finish, a couple of observations. Both of them timeworn, both of them used so often they sound like cliches. The first one effectively coming from Shakespeare, via the medium of Hamlet; the second deployed recklessly by sports commentators when they get sick of saying the latest footy star is a "champion". Both of these expressions could have been coined for Edgar. We shall not see his like again. The legend lives on.

15.01.2022 Good evening everyone. We hope you are enjoying your weekend. Lots of sunshine, lots of sport, and at least one great result! Congratulations to the Raiders - a sterling performance in front of an excited home crowd. A knock 'em down, drag 'em out contest, typical finals intensity, and now a chance to watch tonight's contest. See the Roosters bash the Storm, or maybe the Storm will bash the Roosters. And we don't care who wins, so long as they belt the living daylights out of... each other... A pity about the one-sided affair in Melbourne today, though Richmond fans are not complaining about the lack of a contest. And such outcomes are not entirely uncommon in AFL Grand Finals, especially when one side is primed for the contest and the other mob is busted before it starts... In any event, we still have our tasting on tomorrow, and we will make sure there is something interesting for you to try when you come in to our shop. Any time will do, after about 2 o'clock, and up until about 5. So come down to Downer, soak up some sunshine, and sample some vino. It will make your day, even if your team doesn't win!

12.01.2022 Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to the weekend. The weather is a bit all over the place - typical of Canberra in Spring time - above 30 yesterday, under 20 today. And an irascible wind to aggravate even the calmest soul. But rain last night was an unexpected delight; even the Bureau didn't see it coming. So a pleasant surprise to be winding down at Trevs At Dickson, sometime after 9 o'clock, a plate of beautiful slow cooked lamb on the table, watching the wetness through... the window. And what were we drinking? The delightful 2017 Rosso from Whitton Farm. A sapid and savoury blend of Sangiovese and Syrah. Elegant, fragrant, decadent. Cool spice, cherries, mulberries, fine tannins. And, best of all, a Canberra district wine to go with classically-styled food in one of Canberra's finest eateries. A quintessential Canberra eating and drinking experience, in fact, but that was last night. And today is already well evolved. Which means tomorrow can unfold however we want it to. Which means we get another chance to try more good wine. Might be local, doesn't have to be, but some of it will be. So come on down to our little shop in Downer, any time between 2 and 5. Bring your friends, bring your taste buds, bring your curiosity. You'll be glad you did!

12.01.2022 Hello everyone. Hope you're enjoying the weekend. A bit wild and woolly outside today, but should be sunnier and calmer tomorrow. Just about to tune in to the big Rugby quarter final. Not too often we feel like outsiders in any sort of contest against England, but we're definitely underdogs tonight. Still, we generally thrive in such situations, so we might yet end up smiling at the end of the 80 minutes. Either way, we'll know soon enough... And, either way, we'll have somet...hing to talk about at our tasting tomorrow. If you're into the rugby, we can analyse the game. If you're not, we can analyse the wine. Or we can just smell it, and taste it, and possibly even drink it, without any analysis at all... So come on down to our Downer shops, any time after 2pm, and join in the fun. And don't forget to bring your friends!

12.01.2022 Popped in yesterday to see Peter and ‘stocked’ up on some of my favourite Canberra Region wines. Don’t forget that Peter is open everyday. Thanks Peter

12.01.2022 And so, the countdown is on. The kids have finished school, the rest of us are on holidays, and Rudolph is guiding Santa's sleigh in the general direction of our Great Southern Land. Our fearless leader is back in the country, presumably rejuvenated after his clandestine trip to Hawaii, and ready to focus on the emergency at hand. At least the firefighters will know that his thoughts and prayers are with them... Here in Canberra, we are grateful for a temporary respite from t...he absurd heat. A top in the mid 20s was much more civilised than the 41 degree nonsense we got yesterday, and a projected max of 33 for Wednesday seems somewhat sensible. Although the omnipresent haze is a smelly reminder of burnt out bush on our doorstep. There are still two days for you to stock up on Christmas drinks, meaning that there are two more days for you to enter the draw to win our fabulous Christmas hamper. Just come and buy your festive bottles, print your contact details on the receipt, and we'll put your name in the box. You could win a bottle of the legendary 2013 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier, along with some other rare and wonderful wines. Plus, a food voucher from Trevs At Dickson. Watch this space tomorrow, and we'll give you more mouth-watering hamper news!

12.01.2022 Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to the long weekend. Even if it all feels a bit surreal for a long weekend... There's not much merriment and mirth about the place just now, not much to cheer. No Oz Day fireworks this year, no sense of joy. We're all a bit flat; a bit sad and sombre. Many of us are heading down the Coast, or up into the mountains, just to show our support for the victims of fire. Or we might be, if only our cars had survived the Monday hail...... For the rest of us, still here in Canberra, there's always the option of kicking back and enjoying a few cool drinks. A crisp dry riesling, perhaps, or a slinky and textural chardonnay. Maybe an all-singing, all-dancing grenache. Even an elegant, fine-boned merlot. Or it might be that you feel like a beer. Not, perhaps, the beer we drink 'round here, but a new-age sour from one of our myriad craft makers. Or possibly a bold, hoppy IPA. Anything to get you in the mood for the GABS Hottest 100... Whatever you feel like, we've got you covered. And we'd love to see you here, in our little shop, in beautiful downtown Downer. We're here all day today, until at least 7 o'clock, then from 10 'til 7 tomorrow. Closed on Monday, as per our January arrangement this year, but back on deck for back-to-work Tuesday.

10.01.2022 Hello everyone. We hope you've been enjoying your weekend. Just a quick reminder to come into Downer tomorrow evening for the Annual General Meeting of the Downer Community Association. The formalities get underway at 7pm, but there is a free BBQ from 6pm onwards. And we're pleased to say that the Association will be offering some free drinks as well. There will be samples of wine from our shop, with some fine Canberra drops to try. Including a delightful rose from Quarry Hil...l Wines which we've only just put on the shelf. Don't miss out - be here by 6pm for free food and wine!

10.01.2022 Hello everyone, and welcome to Sunday. Just a quick message to remind you that we have some more interesting wines for our tasting this afternoon. So come on down, any time after 2 o'clock, and enjoy the early spring warmth with a few choice tipples. Also, letting you know that we will be closed all day next Tuesday. Nothing drastic, just a long-standing personal commitment, and we'll be back bright and early on Wednesday. Also, keep your eyes peeled for an announcement here tomorrow. We are planning a special tasting for next Sunday, 22 September, and you'll see all the details on Facebook from tomorrow afternoon.

09.01.2022 Good afternoon everyone, and Happy Saturday. Still no sign of any real rain, but we keep hearing that it's on its way. We live in hope... A couple of things to let you know about. First up, we've reverted to our "normal" hours now that February is here and most of our regulars are back at work. Which just means that we're opening on Monday afternoons again. Still closed on Monday mornings, but starting at 1 o'clock and running through till 7. And then 10am to 7pm on all the o...ther days. Also, we want to draw your attention to some interesting wines you might not normally notice. They will not necessarily be the best wines in the shop, though they might be. They are not even automatically the best value, but they could be. Especially when you have the chance to save some money by buying two them instead of just one... The idea is that we will encourage you to think outside the square. Or maybe even just outside your comfort zone. To vary your drinking diet. To try a variety you may not know about, or a maker you haven't seen before. There's no particular formula involved in these selections, just some random thoughts about wines we'd like you to explore. The options will change, as and when we find new stuff to put on the shelves. At the moment, for example, you might find a local sangiovese. Or a single vineyard chardonnay from the Yarra Valley. Perhaps even a Rutherglen durif, for those cooler evenings when you want a big red for your medium rare sirloin. And next week, it might be something altogether different - depending on what comes across the tasting bench between now and then. In the meantime, we'd love to see you and show you our range. There's something for everyone in our little shop, right here in Downer!

09.01.2022 Just a quick snap, taken out the front of our shop, looking across the roof of our venerable Community Association building. To prove that it does actually rain in Canberra. Sometimes... A bit of a break with tradition, in that we've put a can of beer on top of the local rocks instead of a bottle of wine. And a brave little can it is, too, freshly minted by our friends at BentSpoke Brewing Co in Braddon. This is called How's It Gosen?, and it's the latest instalment in BentS...poke's famous "Drifter" series. Which means it's a limited release, and it's been seducing curious palates since November last year. It's a wonderful warm-weather worshipper - a little bit salty, a little bit sour, and a little bit tropical - but it is strictly seasonal and it's run is about to end. So not much time left for you to wrap your laughing gear around this one. Come into Downer now, and get your Gosen!

09.01.2022 Good afternoon everyone. Just a quick message to let you know that we are closing at 5:30 this afternoon. I mentioned this situation to a couple who came in about an hour ago. A gentleman and his lady friend, looking for a bottle of white wine to drink in the park while they waited for the much-promised rain. The young man asked if there was anything wrong, and I said there wasn't. On the contrary, the littlest member of our family is having a birthday today - his big brother... had one last week - and we were all getting together to make an appropriate fuss. The young man then said the birthday boy might want to play outside if the clouds opened. The young lady suggested this was possible, but might depend on whether Spiderman was already outside. Or whether the Batmobile was parked near the garden shed. I think the lady was on the money... Anyway... We'll be back on deck at 10am tomorrow. Sorry for any inconvenience.

08.01.2022 A quick thank you to everyone who came in for our tasting yesterday. And a chance to let you know about a couple of new promotions we're running. First up, a bit of a tease. We're putting together a Christmas hamper, and it will have some truly exciting stuff in it. Haven't finalised the details yet, but there will be some great bottles up for grabs. Possibly a bottle of Canberra's most famous wine, or a bottle made by our most famous scientist, or maybe even a gift voucher f...rom our best cafe. You'll have to watch this space for details, or come into the shop and have a look... Next up, an idea we've been tinkering with for some time. A lot of our customers ask about older wines, and about the ways wine can change as it ages. We're not necessarily talking about 20 year old bottles, although that can certainly be a worthwhile experience, but maybe something just a little older than a current release. We thought we'd pick a day when people might have time to come in, and we'd open something interesting for the interesting people who might like to drink interesting wine. There won't be a program, or a plan; just wines we think you'd like to try. We'll kick off this Saturday, and we'll start with a special bottle of chardonnay from Central Otago in New Zealand. It comes from Maude Wines, it is released under their Mt Maude reserve label, and it comes from the 2014 vintage. These folks make small quantities of superlative wine, and this chardonnay, especially, is very seldom seen outside NZ. And... it will be open for you to taste when you come into our shop on Saturday. We do ask that you commit to a purchase of wine, because our Saturday bottle will come from a private cellar and we won't have enough to go round for everyone who might like to try it. But buy some wine, about $20 or $25 worth should do the trick, and we'll give you a taste of this exciting Kiwi white. Our intention is to keep our Saturday promotion completely independent of our Sunday tasting, and the Sunday wines will still be free to try for anyone who comes in after 2 o'clock on the second day of our weekend. The Saturday tasting will have a different focus, with rare or unusual wines to be tasted by committed enthusiasts. If you are committed, or think you'd like to become committed, we'd love to see you this Saturday!

07.01.2022 Good afternoon all, and Happy Saturday. Just a quick reminder that you should come into Downer tomorrow so you can try some more of our great vino. We know it's grand final final day, and we'll be cheering the Raiders as loudly as anyone, but the game doesn't get underway until well after 7. Which is mildly inconvenient, since daylight saving starts overnight and there will still be lots of bright sunshine outside when Papalii belts Waerea-Hargreaves in the first few minutes. But it does mean that there is plenty of time for our regular Sunday tasting. Meaning that you can come in any time after 2 o'clock, up to a bit after 5, and you'll still have plenty of time to get home before kick off. Even better, you can grab a bottle or two to toast our first premiership winners since the heroes of '94!

07.01.2022 Hello again, everyone. First up, another quick reminder that we'll be closed tomorrow, Tuesday 17 September, but back on deck on Wednesday morning. Next, the promised info about a special tasting we've got lined up for next Sunday. From 2 o'clock onwards, we're pleased to announce that we will be opening a range of superb wines from local heroes Lerida Estate Wines Canberra. There will be plenty to look at, including a number of exciting examples from their premium Cullerin r...ange, plus a very rare opportunity to sample the peerless 2016 Shiraz Viognier. The front label simply says "a remarkable synergy"; the back tells us that it "ranks with the best of this style in the world". This is Lerida's flagship red, at $75 a pop, and it's not every day you get to try something of this class. Sunday afternoon. 22 September. Downer shops. 2 till 5. Write it in your diary. Be here, bring your friends, and give yourself bragging rights at the water cooler all next week...

07.01.2022 Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to the weekend. Another clear blue sky in Canberra, with a promise of more sunshine now that the winter solstice is behind us. And we're into a new financial year as well - we can only hope it treats us more respectfully than the old one... We're still here, still open every day, still doing our best to offer you an interesting selection of interesting drinks. But we're going to be closed all day on this coming Monday. Nothing too drastic, and nothing terribly exciting. Just a few running repairs for the shop, and we'll have the doors open again at 10 o'clock on Tuesday morning!

06.01.2022 Good afternoon everyone. Just a quick message to remind our valued customers that we will be closed all day tomorrow, and on other Mondays, until the end of January. We are open on all other days, from 10am until 7pm every day. These are tough times for everyone, but especially for those communities directly affected by fires. Canberra's hottest day on record yesterday, with the mercury climbing to 44 degrees just after 4pm, and then another crazy, hazy sky today. The attache...d photo was taken at around 2pm, looking across the oval at the back of my shop. I usually take photos of wine bottles from much the same spot, with the bottles perched on wooden posts which run along the edge of the playing fields. There is usually a bright blue sky behind the bottles, with the sun shining artfully on a cute angle so that it looks as if I actually know how to use a camera. When the reality is that I am probably the world's least accomplished photographer... There are usually lots of people on the oval, too, especially on a Sunday. Kids kicking a footy, or swinging a bat. Mums and dads playing with toddlers, people of all ages playing with dogs. But not today. Smoke so thick you can't even see the sun, a burnt orange vista so you know it's there somewhere, watery eyes even if you're not feeling sad. Which you probably are, given the current state of the nation... See you any time up to 7 o'clock tonight, or again on Tuesday. And keep well.

06.01.2022 Good evening everyone. We hope you're looking forward to the weekend. Just a quick reminder that we will have another special bottle open tomorrow, and anyone who comes into our shop can qualify for a taste. All you have to do is to buy some vino, around $20-$25 worth should be OK, and you can check out something you won't normally get to try. A back vintage of local shiraz this time, and a wine which won plenty of plaudits when it was first released. From Quarry Hill Wines, ...from Murrumbateman fruit, from the fabulous 2009 vintage, and from our private cellar to your tasting glass! Made by Alex McKay, who is well known for the outstanding range of Collector Wines, this shone brightly in a Winewise Magazine tasting, and it was also written up in The Canberra Times. Back in the days when The Canberra Times had regular wine columns... So do yourself a favour, and come into Downer tomorrow for your chance to try a bit of Canberra wine history!

05.01.2022 Good evening everyone, and welcome to the weekend. A quick thank you to all the regulars who came into Downer for our tasting last Sunday, and a reminder to join us again this Sunday. Same time, same channel, as they say - just wander in after 2 o'clock and see what's on the table! In the meantime, we've got more new wines in the shop this week. Including a delightful prosecco from our friends at De Bortoli Wines. From King Valley in Victoria, where most of our good prosecco ...comes from, this is a perfect sparkling wine to kick start your warm-weather dinner party. Or, just for the fun of it, you can pop the cork any time and drink it all on its own. The packaging is as much fun as the wine, but the wine is seriously good. And affordable! It comes in a gift box if you want to give it away as a present, and it also comes in cute little 200ml piccolos. One of our favourite customers actually keeps a piccolo in her fridge all the time - just for those impulse moments when a couple of glasses is enough but a full bottle would be too much. If it were a bland commercial beer we might call it a "throwdown", but it's much too civilised for that. So we just call it "the taste of summer"!

05.01.2022 Good afternoon everyone, and Merry Christmas! It's hot outside again now, but was wonderfully cool at the start of the day. Almost reason enough to get out of bed with a spring in the step. Almost... Anyway, this will be our last post before Christmas, so a bit of routine stuff to start. We will be open all day today, until after 7pm, and then all day tomorrow as well. Probably until 7pm, too, or until everyone has bought their last Christmas bottles. Then we'll close on 25/1...2, 26/12, 27/12, and 28/12. Back on the 29th, ready for New Year's Eve, and then shut on New Year's Day. What all of this means, of course, is that you still have time to get yourself in the draw to win our fabulous Christmas hamper. For the rest of today, at least, and then all of tomorrow. You already know about the fabled 2013 Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier, and some keen eyes have also detected a reference to wine from Brian Schmidt's tiny vineyard out near Sutton. Brian makes minuscule amounts of exciting pinot noir, keenly sought by wine geeks all over the world, and he recently attracted added attention by winning the Nobel Prize in Physics. We have also added a couple of other local favourites to the mix, just because we think they're great to drink at this time of the year. One of them is the entrancing 4 Pinots from Sapling Yard; the other is the similarly alluring Landfall Pinot Meunier from Collector Wines. You could drink either or both of them at any time of the day or night, and you could drink them in any order, but we'll start with the Sapling Yard. The 4 Pinots are gris, noir, meunier and blanc. There is the palest pink blush when you pour it into your glass, so you could be excused for thinking it might be a bit like a rose. But it's got more get up and go than a rose. Then you think you'll get a crisp, dry white. Which it is, in the sense that it's crisp, and it's dry, and it's white. Or mostly white. But, as Aristotle might have said, the whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts. It is sapid, and savoury, and salacious - all at once, and all in the best possible way. One glass quickly follows another, and the bottle gets emptied in such a hurry that you think someone must have drilled a small hole in the bottom... The Collector Pinot Meunier is a red-wine alternative to the Sapling Yard 4 Pinots, and just as well suited to warm-weather socialising. It's unashamedly fresh, unambiguously light on its feet, and full of bright, crunchy fruit. It loves a quick chill,too, and will also disappear so quickly you'll think someone has used a secret siphon to steal your wine. This is what good Beaujolais could be, if Beaujolais could be this good. And we know the variety is different, but the point is still valid. So, a Merry Christmas to all, and may Santa fill your stocking with lots of Christmas cheer. We'll be thinking of you while we're polishing off the 4 Pinots and the Landfall with our Christmas Day seafood!

05.01.2022 Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to the last day of the year. Last day of the decade even... We're here all day today, at least until 7pm, maybe a bit later if there are enough people around. And we have all of your New Year's Eve drinks here, too, all in one shop. There is plenty of cold bubbly, cold beer as well, and all of your favourite summer whites. Plus, of course, rose. The drink du jour, so to speak...... Though it seems to be not just the drink of today, but the drink of any other day to boot! Crisp and clean, pale and pink, fresh and friendly. And it's waiting for you, right here in Downer. Our little precinct is fairly quiet this afternoon, but we do have our signs out the front so you'll be able to find us. Come on down, grab your supplies, and get ready for the midnight toasts. We'll be closed tomorrow, for the public holiday, but then back again on Thursday. And we'll be open 6 days a week throughout January. So, closed on Mondays, but here from 10am until 7pm on all other days. Happy New Year!!!

04.01.2022 Peters is great little find. A really lovely selection of quality Australian wines, well priced and Peter really knows his stuff - can give great advice about which wines to buy!

03.01.2022 Good evening everyone. Just letting you know that all your Melbourne Cup drinks are waiting for you, right here in Downer. We've had plenty of punters coming in over the past few days, but there's still time for slow starters to get in on the action. So, if you haven't already decided, what's it going to be to match your Cup Day mood? Well, you're always in front of the pack with a bottle of great fizz, and we've got a super selection to get you through the big day. You could... go French, or something from Tassie, but we reckon it's worthwhile tweaking the formula and going with something local. There are some beautiful bubblies being crafted in our own Canberra region, and they would make a fine foil for frisky fillies. Or canny colts, for that matter. You could opt for a clean and crisp Prosecco from our friends at Lerida Estate Wines Canberra. This little number covered itself in glory at a recent tasting, coming out ahead of some very well regarded Italian names. Made from the original prosecco grape, it's a perfect aperitif or a great drink in its own right. You might want a more classical "champagne" style of sparkling, and we have a couple of fabulous offerings from local master Greg Gallagher from Gallagher Wines out at Murrumbateman. Greg's bubblies are among the best in all of Australia, and they also manage to leave lots of expensive French alternatives in their wake. Or, if you want to take a walk on the wild side - with apologies to Lou Reed - we have something flamboyant and exhilarating from the passionate and creative Sam Leyshon at Mallaluka Wines, also at Murrumbateman. This is a Pet Nat, or Petillant Naturel, so it is a sparkling wine which is less complicated to make but bolder in character than a conventional champagne style. It is made from sangiovese grapes, and it has been neither fined nor filtered. It is cloudy to look at, its bubbles are delicate but persistent, and its flavours are superbly savoury. In a word - delicious! So there you have it. Three great bubblies, all different, all local, and all fun to drink. You'll have plenty of time to get yourself organised tomorrow - the main event isn't on until 3pm - so we'd love to see you in the morning and give you a real reason to celebrate!

03.01.2022 Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to the new normal. Or, at least, whatever feels like normal at the moment. I will apologise in advance if this turns into a long-winded rant, but I hope you'll bear with me. I haven't been very active on this forum for a while, and there's a bit to get through... I wanted to start by saying thank you to everyone who took time to read my post on Edgar Riek's birthday. I consciously waited a while before going back to it - I wasn't entirely ...Continue reading

03.01.2022 Good evening everyone, and Thank God It's Friday! Grey and gloomy outside, with rampant dust blowing up a storm, but no worthwhile rain in sight. And 34 degrees today was a marginal improvement on 38 yesterday, but still completely unnecessary. Especially for November... Anyway, we have some good news for you... For a start, remember to come into Downer tomorrow for your chance to try the fabulous Maude Wines 2014 Mount Maude Reserve Chardonnay. From Central Otago in New Zeal...and - the most southerly fine wine region on the planet. Just buy some wine, $20 or $25 worth should do the trick, and we'll give you a taste of something you won't see anywhere else. Then we have our regular free tasting on Sunday, starting at around 2 o'clock, and winding up a little after 5. The weather will still be hot - though hopefully a little kinder than today - so we might open some of that delicious Prosecco from De Bortoli Wines that we talked about last week. And then... On Monday afternoon, we'll be here to greet all the locals - and not-so-locals - who rock up for the Annual General Meeting of the Downer Community Association. The Association wants all Downerites to come and join in, along with anyone else who has an interest in our delightful suburb. The meeting is due to get underway at around 7pm, but there is a free BBQ starting at 6... Miles Boak assures us that he makes the best BBQ snags in the land, so we're keen to check out his handiwork. Our little shop has plenty of wine and beer for you, as well as juices and soft drink and bottled water. And milk, too, if you need it. So come on down to our picturesque Downer Village Square on Monday evening. Enjoy one of Miles's award-winning sangas, and have your say on the future of Downer. If you haven't been this way before, you can look for our sign, on the walkway out the front of the shop. And just to help a bit more, we've attached a couple of photos so you'll know you're in the right spot!