Waxtop Wines has opened a shopfront—and the Inner South should be very excited

Posted on 16 February, 2022

Kingston residents have been curious about a certain shopfront in Green Square for some weeks now.

Bathed in eye-catching sherbert orange shapes, there’s been a buzz about what exactly will appear within—and we can now reveal that this is the bricks and mortar home of formerly online-only Waxtop Wines—and it’s officially open.

Founded in late 2020 by Sean Baker and Nick Wood, the duo behind Campbell’s INTRA cafe, Waxtop Wines was created as a wine and spirit delivery service—its point of difference apparent in its wide range of natural, lo-fi and local wines and speedy same-day delivery.

With its sleek website and a Millennial-friendly menu (think wine collections like ‘Smashable’ and ‘Big Rig’) Waxtop quickly carved a name for itself in Canberra’s at-home drinking scene, elevating booze delivery from ‘a wine bar’s poor cousin’ to ‘someone who knows what they’re talking about chose this for me’.

But as Canberra gets back to the face-to-face lifestyle, so will Waxtop. Open Wednesday to Sunday, Waxtop will be your destination for ‘a unique variety of natural wines, ranging from funky lo-fi’s, local classics, and international big dogs’, promising a wine experience ‘without the pretentiousness’.

“Waxtop is all about top drops, top winemakers, and top quality wines,” explains Nick. “We hope to bring a new world of wine to the inner south, with a wide range of local and international products from sustainable and minimal intervention producers.”

“Our wines focus on producers that care for the land and its history, avoiding the use of pesticides and chemicals to tend to the vines.”

Canberrans are encouraged to drop by to grab a bottle for home, a bottle to go with your dinner out or to ‘talk all things wine with the crew against a soundtrack of funky records’—the same soundtrack you can also take home via their ‘sauced‘ Spotify playlist.

Sean says that the shopfront was an obvious move for Waxtop.

“Waxtop has been servicing Canberra with same-day wine delivery from our online store for the past 18 months. The timing felt right to transition into a physical location, so we can provide our customers with a more holistic experience, and share our knowledge of wine in a more personal way.”

As for the location, Sean says the spot mirrors the brand in more ways than one.

“Kingston is a fantastic mix of youth and heritage which is reflected in our range of wines. Choosing this area was an easy decision to make,” he explains.

“The recent revamping of Old Kingston has led to so many new and fantastic businesses putting down their roots, and we are excited to be operated alongside them. Green Square has a great day-and-night-life atmosphere, and it will be a pleasure to be a part of that.”

Photography: Jessica Di Scipio