Barrels And Stills Woolloongabba

Barrels & Stills is a boutique bottle shop and lifestyle store in Woolloongabba, with a secret old world wine lounge bar tucked away upstairs.

The unique concept offers patrons to buy a bottle of wine and enjoy it outside on the covered street terrace or take the concealed staircase behind the bar fridges at the rear of the shop and partake in the full service Ampersand Bar (which has different opening times) upstairs.

The unique way it works is that if you want to enjoy your wine outside*, you choose a bottle from the fridge (where each bottle has 2 prices - a takeaway and a drink onsite price), pay at the register and collect wine glasses and an opener whereupon you open and pour it yourself at the table.

Otherwise you can buy bottles or something else to take away from the loaded ceiling to floor wine fridges and shelves, where you'll find a massive range or unique wines as well as sake, spirits, gourmet pantry items (think tins of sardines, chocolates, pasta, crackers and honey) and homewares like glassware and corkscrews.

But the jewel in the crown is Ampersand Bar, the intimate candlelit lounge upstairs, which has its own bar, and features polished floors, pot plants and plush leather couches.

Here patrons can enjoy a full bar service, along with bar snacks such as artisan cheese (English, French, Italian and Australian) and charcuterie (including Jamon Serrano, Fremantle octopus pieces & Albury sardines) all of which are served with piquillo peppers, cornichons and lavosh).

There is also warm baked baguette with mushroom or chicken pate or baked artisan cheese, Ligurian olives, Thai pork balls, Spanish anchovies or smoked almonds.

During Ampersand Bar's opening hours, the bar food is also available to those who occupy the tables outside, but licensing laws don't allow the service of alcohol there, which is why patrons need to purchase their wine inside and then, once seated, open and pour their wine themselves.