The Wine Library Review
The Wine Library is a lovely wine bar located on the Woolahra end of Oxford St. in Sydney’s Paddington. Its impressive wine list is matched by a morish Italian menu and great, intimate atmosphere. I find it a cool shelter in summer and a warm and cosy hide-out in winter. My favourite thing is that some of the food is prepared right behind the bar with the aromas enveloping the room.
Quick summary | Wednesday night dinner for two, the bill came to $120AUD total.
What we had | The sommelier helped us with picking the Domaine Lucci Pinot Noir 2010 from South Australia which was a perfect red for the food we ordered. We had a couple of oysters to start with, and a toasted quesadilla with black truffles and Stracchino cheese (truffles FTW). We continued stuffing our faces with the spicy lamb gozleme and the most luscious baked polenta with duck ragu and Fontina cheese.
What I liked | The atmosphere is perfect for a date or intimate gathering. It’s the sort of place where wax lyrical goes down as easily as the wine and the hours pass unnoticed. Polenta and quesadilla were the stand out dishes as was the wine if you don’t mind splurging a little (yep, 50% mark up on retail price of that bottle).
What I didn’t like | The food was actually quite affordable but we didn’t find many low priced wines on the menu. Gozleme nothing special so I would skip that and try the meat balls instead. Our sommelier stuffed the order at first, not sure how as he was the one who suggested the wine, but we forgave him as soon as we had the first sip.
Final thoughts | This was my second visit to The Wine Library. The first time was in summer, catching up with a girlfriend over a bottle of Lambrusco and cold Italian meats while we sat at the bar. Both experiences were very enjoyable but I prefer the place in winter, it just seemed so much more cosy.
Rating by imacri: stars
18 Oxford Street
Woollahra NSW 2025
(02) 9360 5686
Open Weekdays 9am-10pm; Sat 9pm-10pm; Sun 9pm-12am
