By Deborah Jackson, editor National Liquor News
Josh Chambers has opened the first store of what will be a mini group within the Chambers Cellars banner, called Wine with Josh.
The store, which is located at McMahons Point in Sydney, includes a premium product offering with a strong focus on boutique and international wines, all selected by Chambers himself.
Chambers told National Liquor News, that the idea is to regain the essence of “what a wine shop used to be”.
He said: “I want to roll out a heap of tastings with suppliers that have cool wines and are just a bit out of the norm. The biggest thing is to bring back the romance of wine and take the focus away from product price.”
Chambers said that the Wine with Josh concept was initially only going to be rolled out in stores that he personally opened, but now that might extend to other Chambers Cellars stores which fit the model.
The Wine with Josh model is suited to up-market, high density, well-travelled, cultural areas, and Chambers already has a few more locations in mind. “Definitely by next year we will have one or two more,” he said.
“In these kinds of areas we can concentrate on a cool range for people who have travelled and they know their imported wines, so that's what I am going to focus on. Stepping away from the masses and being more boutique.
“The direction is a full range of unique products across all categories, so whether that be beer, wine or spirits it will be unique.”
For Chambers who has a passion for wine, he said the idea really clicked over the last 12 months.
“It’s always been in the back of my mind. Wine is my passion and I really wanted to do something more specific in the wine area and it kind of just clicked in these last 12 months. I knew what I wanted and then it just clicked to do my own store as a sub-banner of Chambers Cellars.”
For more from Josh Chambers see the September issue of National Liquor News.