Drinks News

Hot Plates: Avenue C Wine Co, Canberra

A wine bar with simple food to match.

By Gareth Meyer
Avenue C interior
Inspired by the enoteche of Italy, and perhaps those of Melbourne's Lygon and Gertrude Streets, Avenue C Win Co offers welcome relief from Canberra's proliferation of cookie-cutter gastropubs. It's a great spot for a quick after-work drink, a peruse of the cellar, or slow grazing.
With a couple of decades experience in the wine trade, Rachel Bell (River Café, London) has embraced the enoteche ethos with a good sprinkling of wines from local and small-batch winemakers. She's pouring whites ranging from ex-Eden Road winemaker Hamish Young's pinot gris to benchmark albariño from Galicia. Reds range from Henty Farm's 2013 pinot to vibrant and aromatic organic Côtes du Rhône.  
 Proscuitto San Daniele and pickles.
Simple, wine-friendly eats include Vic's Meat's charcuterie, a fine jamon and manchego toastie, grilled asparagus and prosciutto, or a ploughman's lunch.
Pour it, and they will come.  Hopefully.
Avenue C, 55/65 Constitution Avenue, Campbell, ACT, (02) 6247 5991, open daily 10am-11pm, avenuecwineco.com.au.