The team behind acclaimed restaurant Sunset Food and Wine in Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island is venturing around the coast to open a new European-inspired wine bar. The new bar, Tirage, will pop up in the main streets of Kingscote, bringing an exciting new option to Kangaroo Island’s evening scene. It’s set to open its doors this coming Tuesday, February 11.
Owners and husband and wife duo Vanessa Cu and Jack Ingram saw the opportunity to bring a life-long dream to fruition and knew they had to take it. “We walked past the building last winter and saw it was for lease,” Vanessa said. “We decided it would be the perfect spot to open a small scale wine bar, which we’ve always wanted to do!”
The interior of Tirage will feature relaxed neutral grey walls, with a whole bunch of artwork expected to be hung in coming days. Inside, the venue has 25 seats, and out the front there are eight more. Vanessa says although it’s quite a small venue, they’re expecting it to have a whole lot of charm, and plenty of atmosphere.
“We’re trying to make Tirage as beautiful as possible,” Vanessa said. “We’re putting so much time and effort into the interior and exterior of the bar.”
Vanessa referenced Adelaide’s revered East End Cellars as a major influence for the venue. “It has a great vibe and really good food. We’re trying to do something like that on the island too.”
The bar will serve a carefully selected pasta menu with various nibbles to snack on while you sip a world-class wine. The menu will be succinct, but every single dish will be handmade in-house, and perfected by the time it’s on the menu. With tapas-style dining, Tirage promises to use highly seasonal produce, with as many goods from Kangaroo Island as possible.
Vanessa has a strong focus on the wine side, while Jack, being the chef, is super passionate about the food. The bar is hoping to find a harmonious balance between the two for a really unique offering to the area.
Tirage is going to be the more casual sister to Sunset Food and Wine, also run by the husband and wife duo. Sunset overlooks the stunning American Beach near Penneshaw, and was awarded 12 Australian Good Food Guide Chef Hats in 2017.
Finding the balance between the two venues might be a task, but with Sunset open between December and May, Tirage could become a winter mainstay for the island.
The new Tirage building is a former cafe, and was among the many affected by the Kangaroo Island bushfires. Having another brand new culinary venue open in one of the island’s hotspots breathes life into a gradually returning KI food and wine scene.
With the grand opening set for Tuesday, February 11, Tirage is planning special drink and nibble offerings along with live local music from Kangaroo Island based guitarist Tristan Simon. With the festivities kicking off at 5pm, Tirage wine bar is set to bring a whole new flavour to Kingscote’s palate.
Tirage wine bar
Where: 51 Dauncey Street, Kingscote, SA, Australia, South Australia
When: Grand opening Tuesday, February 11, 5pm
For more information, click here.
More News
