Amato's Liquor Mart

It’s very easy to get distracted in Amato’s. For people in the know, this bottle shop at the North end of Norton Street in Leichhardt is an oenophiles dream, and as long as you aren’t too keen on fruits and vegetables, it might be the only shop you ever need to go into. Not only does it have a huge wine collection, including whole shelves dedicated to imported drops from France, Spain, Germany, Chile, Argentina, Portugal, and Italy, but their range for every style of wine you’ve heard of (and many you haven’t) is very impressive. They’ve even got a shelf just for organic, low alcohol and preservative free wines for particular palates. And the fun doesn’t stop there. Sure, there’s a glut of fancy whiskies and every glittering liqueur you’ve ever seen behind a bar – but they also sell food. We’re talking fresh pasta, salamis, cheeses, bread, biscuits, tinned tomatoes, anchovies and sauces. You have the fixings for an Italian long lunch right here, plus all the wine you could need to accompany it. Much like a trip to Ikea or Bunnings, the hard part about visiting Amatos is not spending all your money.