Discover a different way to buy your wine

Just about every wine store in the world offers a similar format: a section for chardonnay, another section for shiraz, a different section for imports. 

New Melbourne store Drop Shop, which opens its doors today, is doing things differently. 

Drop Shop is challenging decades of liquor retail convention with a simple idea: most people don’t buy wines by grape variety or region - they buy by occasion and budget.

Founded by Pinot Palooza creator and Wine Victoria chair Dan Sims, drinks retail specialist Courtney Keegan and Common State founder Luke McKinnon, the new concept aims to replace overwhelming choice with a tightly curated range organised into three intuitive categories:

Choose from: 

* Weekday from $15 to $25
* Party from $25 to $40
* Fancy from $40+

“We want to create a new category,” says McKinnon, ex Dan Murphy's and Blackheart and Sparrows. 

"We've gone for an occasion-based liquor format that strips out the clutter and speaks directly to the individual who’s tired of choosing between a warehouse and a wine lecture.

”With this guiding logic, the offer is deliberately simple. Wines are presented in three distinct categories with Victorian and rising producers front and centre."

The same equation applies across wine, beer, RTDs, spirits, as well as non-alcoholic options. 

The 60sqm store is designed by We Are Humble and inspired by Japanese konbini culture. 

Drop Shop is described as a convenience store for drinks that’s designed like Aesop, run like 7-Eleven, and organised to take the guesswork out of buying booze. 

“Most retailers would probably describe themselves as highly curated,” Sims says. "But the average bottle shop stocks more than 1000 wines. At Drop Shop, we literally only have room for 150, so everything has to really earn its spot on the shelf. Think of each category as its own shortlist. The idea isn’t to limit choice - it’s to make choosing easier."

Drop Shop is at 70 Lygon Street (corner of St Phillip Street), Brunswick East, 3057. Opening hours:
Monday to Thursday: 11am-9pm, Friday and Saturday: 11am-10pm, Sunday: 11am-8pm.

See www.dropshopdrinks.com

So you really, really like to eat steak?

Are you one of those people for whom too much steak is not enough?

Melbourne bistro 98 Lygon St Bar & Bistro, in Brunswick East, has just launched a weekly bottomless steak deal starting from Wednesday.

So think unlimited premium, dry-aged grass-fed porterhouse, sliced thick, served rare and your plate refilled until you surrender.

Diners will enjoy their steak feast with frites and peppercorn sauce for $69 per person. 

Selected cellar pours, and large-format bottles offered by the glass on the night offer a wine and food matching experience.

Co-founder Ben Clark says the concept was designed to feel like a proper night out.

“Wednesday is a night people already enjoy dining out," he said. "This was about generosity, quality and creating a midweek ritual people look forward to.”

The format also reflects the venue’s broader approach to hospitality, says co-founder Simon Aukett.

“It’s indulgent without cutting corners,” he says. “The full experience, done properly, week after week.”

Bottomless Steak launches Wednesday, February 25, and will run weekly. Seats are limited, bookings are essential.

See www.98lygonst.au