The details
A few months back word started to spread of City Winery – an establishment that is being touted as Brisbane’s first inner-city micro-winery and wine bar. The brainchild of the Gerler wines team, Adam Penberthy and Dave Cush, City Winery will follow a craft-brewery approach to winemaking once it opens in the coming months. Carl’s – Gerler’s own cellar door and cafe space inspired by Brisbane wine pioneer Carl Gerler – was conceived as a way to introduce locals to the team’s range and the Gerler story ahead of City Winery’s arrival. A poky space on Wyandra Street has been converted into a suitable outlet, boasting seats for intimate dining, people watching and wine sampling.
The drink
Over the past three years Gerler’s winemaker Dave Cush has subscribed to the philosophy that good wine should be made with fruit sourced from wherever it grows best in the country. With this in mind, Dave has been bringing in grapes from select vineyards that are then processed into Gerler’s first vintages. This travelling winemaker approach means that Gerler’s range incorporates varietals grown from across Australia – from the Granite Belt to the Barossa and beyond. Roughly ten different wines are on hand at Carl’s, including the likes of a grenache rosé from McLaren Vale, a preservative-free tempranillo from Queensland, a chardonnay from Orange in New South Wales and a Barossa shiraz. As Carl’s is an active cellar door, bottles can be purchased to take home, but patrons are also welcome to sign on for educational tastings geared to enlighten those with any level of wine knowledge. The range will soon expand to include a sparkling and a port wine, and Carl’s will also serve local beers and other wines once a full liquor licence is obtained.
The fare
Chris Siktars (Black Ox Dining) has come on board to oversee Carl’s kitchen offering, which extends from morning cafe bites to sophisticated share-style eats in the evening. Carl’s sources green coffee beans from Di Bella to roast on site daily, flooding Wyandra Street with the smell of fresh brew. Morning movers and shakers can stop by for a light breakfast of toast toppers such as truffle honey and whipped ricotta or smashed avo and dukkah on Danny’s Bread. Once the evening arrives, the kitchen shifts to offer simple fare that emphasises locality and freshness. Warmed Mount Zero olives, Pacific Lagoon oysters, pork rilletes, shaved prosciutto, Maffra aged cloth cheddar and Tintenbar triple-cream brie are some of the delightful appetisers available, while the chef’s menu features more substantial eats like duck waffle with foie gras mousse, Sunshine Coast line-caught barramundi with grapefruit, gooey cheese toasties and mouth-watering Angus sirloins with salsa verde.
Carl’s is now open. For more details, check it out in the Stumble Guide.
