Images: Bryden Weston
An intimate new wine bar serving South Australian and French drops hopes to connect the local community with the wine industry and the visual arts.
Coming soon to the old Adelaide Fruit and Produce Exchange building on Grenfell Street, Septimus House of Cheese and Wine is named after Australian artist Septimus Power, explains the bar’s owner Ian Coker.
“‘Septimus’ also means ‘seventh born’, which ties in perfectly with our rotating menu of seven cheeses paired with seven wines – from sparkling to whites and reds,” Coker tells Glam Adelaide.
This is the first hospitality venture for the engineer, who also boasts a formal education in wine, a deep connection to Adelaide’s visual art scene and family ties in building restorations. Septimus is a passion project that combines all of this knowledge.
“As a local resident, I’m genuinely invested in preserving our area’s heritage, celebrating its culture, and giving back to the community,” he says.
While the bar doesn’t yet have an opening date as Coker awaits council approvals, he has been hard at work painting and renovating the heritage site to ensure doors are ready to open in March.
Local craftspeople have helped to transform the space, including traditional signwriters MoonDog, who have hand-painted the 1904 shopfront window and added delicate gold foiling. Upstairs, carpenter Ben Handberg has custom-made all the cabinetry to complement built-in upholstered seating. Meanwhile, Coker will adorn the walls around the new Italian marble bar downstairs with contemporary pieces from his own art collection.
The menu will highlight both local and French wines, especially from growers and makers facing challenging times. What makes the bar unique is its museum collection of over 800 wines, giving patrons a rare chance to explore special vintages in a relaxed setting, scored by vinyl and CDs.
When describing the overall look and feel he is going for at Septimus, Coker says he avoids the term “sophisticated”. He wants to demystify the process of what wine people should drink, educating his staff to pass on expertise about wine varieties, flavours and regions.
“I really want it to be a nice neighbourhood bar for the community, a place where people who love wine, want to learn more about wine, or just want a comfortable space to enjoy, can make themselves feel at home,” he says.
Up to 50 patrons at a time will be able to enjoy artisan nibbles and tipples at Septimus. Follow @septimus_adl on Instagram to stay tuned for the grand opening.
What: Septimus House of Cheese and Wine
Where: 220 Grenfell Street, Adelaide
Instagram: @septimus_adl
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