The Tap Project

The Verdict

This is one of those pop-ups you HOPE is going to stick around. An urban cellar door at the top of Bourke St—#1 Bourke St, actually. Very money address. And it’s serving up a rotating mix of local wines beers and bar bites, all on tap. Hence ‘The Tap Project’.

The pop-up is a collaboration between local brewers Hop Nation and Victorian winemakers Quealy. Each brand is going to provide four rotating bevvies on tap. It might be a 2017 Amphora Friulano or a pinot noir from the Mornington Península. Maybe an Aussie-style IPA, or a crisp, lemony Pilsner (our personal favourite, it’s called ‘The Damned’). Half the fun is wandering in and seeing what’s on the pour today.

Quealy are using the venue to debut their new ‘wine keg’ technology, which they say guarantees optimal wine freshness in every glass. (Go do some research and get back to us with the results.)

And the news gets better. Not only can you sit in, or dine al fresco with a cheeky 2016 pinot grigio, The Tap Project is running a proper cellar door too. Which means if you try something you like, you can pick up a few bottles to take home. Part bar, party bottle shop, and all within spitting distance of some of the CBD’s best restaurant.

Food-wise, you can expect some sophisticated Mediterranean snacks, all vegetarian. Chef Cian Fenaughty is running the pass (previously Cutler & Co and Dinner By Heston in London), and he’s come up with a bite-sized summer menu. A little Fried Pickle Misto (mixed vegetables, pickle fried and served with gorgonzola sauce), or maybe a larger dish like the Jerked Eggplant Taco—sautéed eggplant, kimchi, fermented cucumber and pickled Buddha's hands. Nom.

The Tap Project is scheduled to run till March, but the dates may change if the concept takes off. Best to get in now and see what all the fuss is about.

Image credit: Annika Kafcaloudis