Before “natural wine” emerged as one of the latest trends, only a handful of local retail stores offered such choices in Sydney, including Native Drops in Bondi. Despite the challenges of running a niche business amidst the pandemic, this artisan wine store has thrived, enough to open a second shop in Surry Hills.
Native Drops owner Daniel Berman found a spacious two-storey site on Crown Street in Surry Hills where the bottle shop will operate its second store with Ella Stening as the manager. According to Stening, they intend to make the Surry Hills shop more of a space for “experiencing” great wine after learning that many of their customers want to enjoy the most out of what they consume, as triggered by the pandemic restrictions.
Above the Surry Hills location is a wine tasting room that will also be used as a venue for other events, such as product showcases, special dinners with wine, exhibits and documentary screenings. It will be a community space cum creative and educational hub that will also host Native Drops’ regular workshops and wine education, which they’ve been regularly conducting at the Bondi outlet for the last three years.
With these events, the crew hopes to break down the misconceptions about natural wines. Sterling is also planning to host her regular Women in Wine fundraising events at the venue.
Meanwhile, Native Drops Surry Hills will be stocked with a variety of drinks and snacky treats that will perfectly pair with the customer’s booze of choice, including non-alcoholic pet-nat wine.
As with the first store, the shop’s inventory will come from small producers who embrace sustainable farming and harvesting. Their selection will range from traditional flavours to more experimental flavours, giving every consumer heaps of choices to find the drink they will truly enjoy.
Native Drops in Surry Hills is at 479 Crown Street and opens daily. Follow their Instagram page for products and events updates.
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