Blackhearts & Sparrows

Overview

If you've been longing to explore beyond the familiar wine brands at your local bottle-o, you'll find a remedy at Blackhearts & Sparrows. This bottle shop, which has counterparts in Victoria and Tassie, is a sibling-run operation that's dedicated to all the wines, beers and spirits you don't usually see on big chain bottle shop shelves. And they come from around the world, so you can travel from Piedmont, Italy, with a medium-bodied dolcetto to just down the road with a Mada Wines nouveau syrah.

There are a pet-nats aplenty, and if you're a sour beer tragic, you'll be like a kid in a candy store here — no really, you can mix and match six different brews in your take-home pack. Every week, a new series of drinks goes on pour, including many local so you can try before you buy.

Images: Nathan Harradine-Hale