Inside the Amaro & Vermouth Mini Market at Gemini Wine Bar in Coburg
On a Saturday afternoon, washed in golden light, Gemini Wine Bar opened up its front yard and upstairs room to a different kind of crowd: the vermouth and amaro lovers.
People drifted between tables, glasses in hand, tasting in the sun to the steady rhythm of the street, while upstairs, things felt a little slower, more intimate… each conversation stretching a bit longer over each pour.
Eight producers had been invited by Gemini to showcase their vermouths and amari. The space buzzed all afternoon: people tasting, asking questions, comparing notes, discovering the layers and bitterness of the drinks. There was a real sense of curiosity in the air, as many encountered these styles for the first time.
For Paul Slater, representative of Punch & Ladle in Melbourne, that interaction is what it’s all about. He described events like this as an “exposure piece”, a chance to get people tasting, gather feedback, refine what they do, connect with other producers… and maybe even sell a bottle or two along the way.
That openness and exchange carried across the room. Sean Byrne, co-founder of Maidenii, reflected on how far vermouth has come. “When we started making it 15 years ago… there wasn’t really a particular attention paid to the base wine. So I guess that’s where we really focus on,” he explained. And at the core of it all is a simple ambition: “I want to make more people love vermouth.”
Upstairs, Dave Verheul, owner and maker at Saison Aperitifs, was pouring a range shaped by the seasons: lighter, brighter styles for warmer months, deeper, richer ones for winter. “It’s the same way that your body craves that type of food,” he said. More importantly, he noted how difficult it is to explain these drinks without tasting them. Getting a glass into someone’s hand, he added, “goes a million miles further,” especially in a category people recognise but don’t always fully understand.
That idea of demystifying those unique drinks was echoed by Ash Sutherland, owner and distiller of Autonomy Distillers. “Bitterness is not necessarily a familiar flavour for a lot of people, but often found in a lot of cocktails” he said, adding that this event was a chance to break things down. It was also a valuable moment to hear directly from drinkers.
For Noah Ward, Unico Zelo and Okar ambassador, the Coburg crowd felt like the perfect audience. “There’s an adventurousness and a curiosity to a lot of the people living here and frequenting neighbourhood bars like this,” he said, noting how open they were to trying something a little different. In a time where, as he puts it, “people are drinking less, but they want more of a meaningful experience”, niche events like this offer more than the usual tasting.
For producers, this event was a chance to connect directly, tell their story, and get immediate feedback. For Tresna Lee and Shane Farrell, owners of Gemini Wine Bar, it reinforced their place as a neighbourhood bar that brings people together around thoughtful, well-curated experiences. And for the public, it opened the door to a category that feels both unfamiliar and exciting.
By the end of the afternoon, the pace hadn’t slowed… just softened. Glasses were still being passed around, conversations still flowing. A reminder that sometimes, all it takes is a bit of sunshine, a good pour, and the right setting to turn curiosity into something lasting.