Mr Chester Wine Bar brings a splash of New World finery to The Valley
The times, they are a-changin’ and so are our tastes. The categorical boundaries that classify and sometimes limit venues are crumbling, leading to an incredible new wave of hospitality across Australia. Mr Chester Wine Bar is cresting that wave in Brisbane, bringing with it a New World approach to wine and atmosphere – removing the pretension and making education (as far as wine is concerned) fun again. Pairing undeniable taste with a great selection of wine and cheese, Mr Chester Wine Bar is breaking the mould in the Fortitude Valley bar scene.
Luke Reimers knows his way around a bar. After working for several years in various venues in Brisbane and Melbourne, he has picked up his fair share of knowledge. As a sommelier and bartender, Luke learned everything there is to know about the Australian wine industry, and after he started to study design it seemed like a no-brainer that he’d one day open his own establishment. Luke and his friend Wayne Murphy are the masterminds behind Mr Chester Wine Bar, a venue that does away with the connotations attached to stuffy and pretentious old-school wine bars by embodying a New World flair paired with a stellar selection of wines from Australia’s cutting edge viticulture industry. The bar boasts a chic industrial fit-out consisting of timbers and concrete (including an impressive concrete bar), with some eclectic touches thrown in around the space – but it’s what is behind the bar that you should be most interested in.
Luke and Wayne are committed to making Mr Chester an ever evolving resource for discerning wine drinkers, sourcing drops from around Australia and the world that you don’t have to be a sommelier to enjoy. Many of Australia’s diverse microclimates are represented by the likes of Patrick Sullivan Wine, Shobbrook Wines, Alpha Box & Dice, Robert Johnson Vineyards, Mac Forbes and more. Two gins are on offer, including Poor Toms and Kew Organic Gin, which are paired with light tonic water from Strange Love, while Nikka and Starward whisky are also available. Mr Chester has paired its drinks selection with a choice range of cheese and snacks from Fino Foods. Each item is boutique in nature, mixing taste with story that educates and tantalises. Morsels such as chicken and pistachio terrine with pear chutney share menu space with the likes of English cave-aged cheddar, Biemme parmigianno reggiano, sardines on toast and more. Education is part of the experience, so don’t be afraid to ask about bottles that take your fancy – everything in stock has a story worth telling and flavours worth tasting.
Mr Chester Wine Bar is open now and waiting to introduce you to its collection of drops. Check out the Stumble Guide for more information.
The Stumble Guide is our comprehensive Brisbane dining guide with more than 2400 places to eat, drink, shop and play.
