The College Hill Wine Room By David Nash

When I first met David Nash it was quite by chance and rather champagne-fuelled. But not just any champagne (if one can even say that), it was Dom Pérignon’s 2015 vintage. We were among a small group at Kingi Private who were the first to try it. Like, ever. 

I didn’t know it at the time but this was an apt way to meet David who’s renowned for having had a hand in some of Aotearoa’s finest experiences including being a founding member of The Hotel Britomart, co-founding and co-owning Helio Wines, The Marlborist, Alpine Rift and Bluff Distillery, while also heading his own ‘inventive experiences’ company Atelier Nash and creative agency Studio Nash. Just casually.  

The College Hill Wine Room by David Nash is his latest endeavour. And if fine wine luxury’s a bit of you (it is), you’ll want to head there, glass-first. 

One-of-a-kind in Aotearoa, The Wine Room is a new era of wine experience—the perfect blend of neighbourhood wine bar, private dining room, subterranean cellar, sundeck and retail shop.  

It sounds like the epitomy of opulence, and it is, yet somehow the team has managed to create an ultra-luxe aesthetic that’s also relaxing. In fact, an evening spent here actually felt restoring—a rare occurrence at any point in my whirlwind schedule but especially so as given the unrelenting high octane energy of the lead up to Christmas. Perhaps its got everything to do with David’s vision for The Wine Room to be a wine lover’s home away from home.

The Wine Room is designed for the wine curious as much as it is for wine collectors—its bar primed to welcome casual drop-ins for a cheeky glass of vino or a cocktail after work. It’s stocked with over 350 bottles of benchmark world wines, ideally enjoyed with a ‘by the glass food offering’ from Te Matuku oysters to crayfish crumpets and The Cheese List. 

The private dining room, complete with Michelin-starred Executive Chef and partner Ryan Moore and Wine Director Joe Costello, is prepped to punctuate everything from corporate celebrations to intimate family dinners and branded events with a standout lineup of liquid offerings and vibrant dishes. Feeling a champagne and caviar moment? Just say the word. 

The Wine Room has been designed in collaboration with Space Studio. Must-note design features include a gorgeous backlit sectioned wall dubbed the ‘Wall of Fallen Soldiers’ by David (a visual ode to the most meaningful wine moments to date), furniture by Woodrights of Motueka Tasman, team uniforms by Maggie Marilyn and Crane Brothers and stunning moon rock-esque light features.

As for the wine cellar, we never thought we’d write the words ‘Storage King’ and ‘chic’ in the same sentence but that’s exactly what’s needed when describing the subterranean wine storage vaults.

The building was, indeed, a former Storage King and has been immaculately repurposed into over 450 individual temperature-controlled cellars—from darling box to walk-in—managed by a Wine Concierge. A cellar starts from just $136 per month. Bottles stored here are accessible 24/7 and can be enjoyed upstairs “at your very own wine bar” with unlimited corkage. It’s BYO, the elevated edit. 

The College Hill Wine Room 0pens this Friday 22 November. 

Opening hours: 
The Wine Room Bar | Wednesday-Sunday, 11am ‘til late
The Wine Room Shop | 7 days a week, 11am-9pm
The Private Dining Room & event spaces | available 7 days a week
The Wine Room Cellars | private access 

Words: Alice Rich | Image credit: Jono Parker 

---