Wine Odyssey (CLOSED)

Sure, the Wine Odyssey will never be mistaken for Sydney’s latest bar du jour, with obligatory urban graff, low-hanging pendant lighting and a hipster clientele. But what it lacks in coolness is almost counterbalanced by its impressive offering of Australian wines by the glass. Forty-four, to be precise. This is all made possible by a unique wine pouring and preservation system that allows the Odyssey to have a stack of bottles opened for much longer than other places as there is less risk of it going to vinegar before being consumed. Purchase a Wine Odyssey Australia Card and hit up the DIY Wine Journey Room where you can give all 44 wines a crack. Although it’s tempting to head straight to, say, the 1994 Penfolds Grange, there are lots of other really exciting and cheaper options, like the shiraz from the fantastically named Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch winery. The food menu includes the usual suspects like mezze plates and cheeses, but for a better experience take a food and wine ‘flight’, and indulge in three glasses of wine perfectly matched with small seasonal dishes.