Fine and dandy: Normanby Fine Wines & Spirits
New opening, May 2025
A revolving cast of wines and furniture with a consistent crew of skilled staff set the scene for a new kind of wine experience
If you like what has been poured into your glass at Normanby Fine Wines, and you like the chair you’re sitting on, both those things could be yours to take home. Dynamism is built into the DNA of the latest edition to the retail and hospitality scene in Uptown.
Encompassing a retail store, cafe, wine bar and private room, the new business is the culmination of the knowledge and passion honed over decades by Liz Wheadon, a renowned leading light in the wine world and in the retail sector (she’s the current president of Retail NZ). Shortly after farewelling her general manager role at Glengarry after 30 years with the company Liz was approached by the owners of Webb’s to lead the charge in building a new and separate business in wine retail – with a difference. In an age when slinging wine is easily done entirely online, the point was to go well beyond the transactional. Liz’s aim was to add “An element of experience, creating somewhere people feel at home and want to keep coming back to… a nice space to sit and taste wine in, surrounded by an incredible collection of art”.
The incredible collection of art, the covetable furniture you’re surrounded by at Normanby Fine Wines are from just out the back: Webb’s main gallery and estate auction house. Most pieces are for sale – enquire within. And while there is surely a high value on many of the beautiful items gracing the space, there’s a welcoming, homely feel about the place. The coffee machine at the heart of things emits its comforting grinding and steaming noises, and beyond the croissants and pastries on the counter, vinyl spins on the turntable. The impressively large selection of wine, spirits, sake and beer is all, as the name says, fine – but think again if you think fine inherently means expensive. It simply means every bottle on offer is of excellent quality, even at the lowest price points in store (prices start from around $17 for a bottle of wine). “It's about drinks that are crafted by someone who has cared about it, put thought process into it, and made something great”, says Liz. Boutique producers from around Aotearoa and the world are the key focus, and so many of these Liz has personally visited in her years of travelling the globe in the quest for the best tipples. Staff are skilled in being able to share the stories behind products in a way that will feel equally captivating to novices and aficionados.
A deli fridge sticks lots of goodies including cheese, charcuterie, and condiments, and you can purchase bits and bobs to go, or nestle into a cosy spot onsite. A menu of seasonal snacks hinges around the kinds of things that taste especially good with a glass of something – premium tinned fish, pickles, pates and more. The by-the-glass wine list will constantly rotate – a great excuse to try something new, and there are cocktails, too. “If you’d like to sit down with a bottle of wine”, says Liz “It’s a case of well, which one would you like? And it’s just the retail price with a pretty small fixed corkage fee, so whether you're buying a $20 bottle or a $380 one, you pay the same for corkage”. She’s especially excited about the Champagne offering – eschewing the common approach of aligning to a Champagne house allows staff at the wine bar to introduce customers to small-scale grower Champagnes.
Much like the gallery and auction house of Webb’s, Normanby Fine Wines is a treasure trove of things with fascinating stories built into them. With the added benefit of being utterly delicious.
31a Normanby Rd, Mt Eden | Website | Instagram
WORDS Anna King Shahab
This article was originally published in Uptown, issue 11, May 2025
