Talking about restaurants who have had a rough start, The Wine Underground is certainly no stranger to the challenges that come with managing a restaurant. Although the ultra modern, chic downtown Adelaide wine bar is now enjoying its regained success, it hasn’t always been such a smooth run for The Wine Underground. If you happen to google “The Wine Underground Adelaide”, you will catch glimpses of the word “explosion” in conjunction with its name.
Not a typical story resulting from the lack of care of an employee who left the gas on, The Wine Underground was devastated in May 2006. Jerrycans of petrol, along with the body of the owner of JP Café located above the wine bar were found on the scene. You can only imagine the cause of the explosion. Needless to say, for all those of you who know anything about wine, heat is not a friend of wine, and the rare collection of wines from boutique South Australian wineries were destroyed.
With its sob story behind them and a million dollar renovation later, The Wine Underground along with the addition of Coopers 1862 Bar occupying the ground floor, are both well on their way back on the road to success. With its clean lines and simple design, both venues are considered ultra modern and sleek for the Adelaide dining scene.
The Wine Underground
If you've never been, you may think that you are standing in the underground once you've walked through the front entrance of Coopers 1862. Little do you realize, you're not quite there until you turn to your left, head down the stairs, and that's where you will find the Wine Underground. As you expect from any wine bar, there is no shortage of the presence of wine with their bar, cellar and wine fridges.
The Underground Wine Bar provides an intimate setting for casual fine dining, or you can choose from an innovative tapas menu if you are just looking for a quick bite. It features 2 private dining rooms great for events and corporate meetings.
So, I didn't quite get to enjoy dinner here, but was definitely fortunate enough to get a chance to taste their selection of cheeses, as well as their charcuterie board w/ olive & rosemary grissini & pickles, and some.
Their cheese selection consists of: Cave aged cloth bound cheddar (UK), epoisses (France), truffle coulommiers (France), chaubier (France), beaufort d'alpage (France), and gorgonzola piccante (Italy). My favorite by far was the coulommiers. If you like camembert cheese, you will LOVE the coulommier. It has a very similar rich, creamy texture. Mmmm... Also, I'm not generally a fan of dried fruits or raisins, but their dried sultana grapes were absolutely delish!
That last photo is HORRID, I know. I do apologize. But, the point is, who can say no to prosciutto, pancetta and salame? Especially not a meat lover like me! Also being a pickle lover, I wasn't complaining. Again, two thumbs up! And after filling my tummy, I was invited to the wine tasting session upstairs in Coopers 1862, and I happily obliged. Again, those who know me know that I never say no to red meat, even more so, I NEVER say no to free wine tastings!
Coopers 1862 Bar
Lucky for me, Coopers 1862 had brought in Rocland Estates that night to do a wine tasting session. This was only one of many wine tastings that happen at Coopers. The interesting thing about this session was that Rocland Estates had brought with them a dozen of so mini flasks of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Reisling I believe was the last one. Each seat at the table was set up with a flask of each, and eat attendee had the chance to blend their own wine! The blended wines were then tasted by a panel of judges, and Rocland Estates then bottles a dozen of your own blend to take home with you!! But, unfortunately, I have a (student) life to live, and reports to write, so I couldn't stick around for the blending session. Although, before I left, I did get a chance to try a couple of their wines.
Anyone who hasn't loves a glass of bubbly and hasn't tried Australian sparkling shiraz, it is definitely worth trying. Like how Canadians put a twist to ice wine and made Cabernet Sauvignon ice wine, Aussies have come up with sparkling Shiraz. Personally, I'm not a big fan of Australian Shiraz. It tends to be a little too peppery for my liking. Although, the sparkling Shiraz is totally different matter. The bubbles smooth out the taste and peppery-ness, giving it a smooth, full finish. And, the packaging adorable and takes you back to the 50's! What's not to love?
If you're ever in Adelaide and looking for a great place to explore Aussie wines, this is the place to be.
121 Pirie Street
Adelaide, SA
8232.1222
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