A Melbourne bottle shop is taking a pared-back approach to wine retail, organising its selection by occasion and price rather than grape variety or producer. Drop Shop, on Lygon Street, has about 150 bottles in its fridges across three categories: weekday, party and fancy.
The weekday range is priced at $15 to $25, party bottles cost $25 to $40, and the fancy category starts at $40. The format is intended to simplify shopping for customers who want to choose a bottle based on the event or their budget.
Drop Shop sits among hospitality venues including Etta, Daphne, Charrd and Times New Roman, drawing on the foot traffic of people eating out, joining queues or looking for another bottle after a long lunch.
Its deliberately curated range includes Victorian wines, a smaller number from elsewhere in Australia and selected imports. Rather than carrying extensive variations of the same grape, the shop stocks about 170 products in total.
The selection includes a $20 natural orange wine and a $50 merlot with a label suitable for giving as a gift. Beer ranges from Melbourne Bitter to craft brews, while low- and no-alcohol drinks, canned cocktails and ready-to-drink products are also available.
The shop’s presentation has been likened to Aesop, while its practical, budget-conscious approach is closer to a convenience store: a compact selection designed to make choosing alcohol quicker and less intimidating.
