Review Handpicked Cellar Door - Sydney

A really nice place with a great environment to taste wine. This is also a great place for a casual online meeting or a small talk between close friends to enjoy the after-work time. I enjoyed my afternoon here with the tasting flight of Four Shades of Wine. This flight is friendly for ladies and also a great choice for wine beginners. And last weekend I attended a workshop which was held by Handpicked Wines and Ding Tai Fung. This was my first time to try traditional Chinese steam food with wines. I have to say it was a great experience. Both of the handpicked wines and Ding Tai Fung food are worth trying.

Stopped by here on a Sunday afternoon for wine tasting. The person who helped me out was so friendly and helpful in selections and we tailored the tasting based on what how I liked the first 2 samples I tried. If you buy 2 bottles they waive the tasting fee. They also gave flights and charcuterie boards. The tasting room is also near a bunch of restaurants in spice alley... definitely a fun night to spend with someone!

What used to be an amazing wine bar has sadly become become very lacklustre. Have been coming here for years with an associate who was a gold member. Unfortunately we had a very negative experience today - extremely rude waiter who identified she was the manager, and very limited selection of both wine and food. This has happened several times recently including member benefits not being upheld. Would not recommend coming until things have improved.

I've come here many times for wine tastings and always had a great time until last night. I came with a friend around 6:30 pm and we each ordered a flight of wine and some cheese etc. All good. Then suddenly the waiter brought us a check at 7:45 and didn't say anything to us. About a minute later they start very loudly playing the song "closing time" and we can hear the staff laughing. The establishment is still fairly full at this point. My friend and I look at each other in disbelief. The table next to us is shocked and we all agree that it's extremely rude. Mind you the music is now so loud that we can barely hear each other! We had one glass of wine left so we just drank it as quickly as possible. "Hit the road jack" comes on as the waiter approaches us again asking us to pay the bill. We do so and leave. I don't think I will be coming back unfortunately. We paid over $100 for our food and drinks to then be passively aggressively kicked out. We thought this was a classy establishment but I stand corrected. The staff could have quietly come up to us and said they were closing. Keep in mind that it was not even 8pm on a Saturday. The couple next to us made a comment to the staff who just said "it has to be done".....

I’ve always loved Handpicked and have been coming regularly for years now. Have always had incredible service until today, when the waitress/sommelier who later identified herself as the manager was incredibly rude when I asked if I could have a glass of the Mornington Collection Chardonnay. Instead of simply stating that they didn’t have this available and offering an alternative or directing me to the menu to choose another glass, she very rudely and bluntly said I had to buy the entire bottle and then walked away. Her manner was very rude and accusatory. Extremely disappointed that my favourite wine bar has now become so unfriendly.

Such a fantastic place. Visited a number of times now and wine and service never disappoints. Went for the wine flight on our list trip. I love that each guest can choose their own flight that suits them (so red-wine only, or on white only drinkers don't have to compromise!). Can also pair with the cheeses, but we ordered our own cheese and cold meats so everyone could share instead. Every wine was exquisite, and the cheese and meats were equally as good. So lucky to have this place right on our doorstep in Chippendale. Lucky but also dangerous! Its a wine shop as well as a restaurant/bar, so all to easy to pick up a bottle!

My experience here was absolutely delicious! You are able to try different blends of wine with the most suited cheese. The wine list and pairing suggestions allows for better knowledge takeaways. My home cooked dinners and wine pairing game is now elevated!! 🤩🍷🧀

We went on a Saturday afternoon from 4-6pm and it was nice, and quiet. Great place to start a night out /date as you can actually have a conversation. The interior is industrial but warm. Great place to have parties. Around 6pm they dimmed the light to create more of a cosy ambiance. The wine menu is amazing; a lot of choice and the staff is very helpful to pick the right one. I started with the mulled Wine which was really nice on a cold winter night...afterwards I had the Riesling (Claire valley); very nice and ‘soft’. We combined the cheese with 6 different type of cheeses that their staff chose for us. The truffle brie and whole baked Camembert were absolutely delicious! Just dip your bread into the warm cheese... We’re definitely coming back!

The wine here was delicious, I ordered the Margaret valley cab Merlot and loved it. The baked camembert was our favourite dish, it was so garlic-y and warm. Perfectly melted and paired with the bread! We asked the waitress to choose our cheeses for us, would probably go for more soft cheeses next time

Wonderful experience with beautiful truffle dishes with awesome wine pairings. The dazzling display of pasta served from the cheese wheel was the highlight. Good selection of cheeses on hand

This is the perfect spot for a girls night or a chill date. Great selection of wine and cheese! I live for their Raclette Tuesdays... There's just something about melting cheese over potatoes and meat 😍

Handpicked Cellar Door is no ordinary cellar door. The interior is spacious, light and has a Scandinavian feel about it. It would be a wonderful space for a function and they actually hire it out for events. <br/><br/>If you didn’t know, Handpicked Wines is a winery with vineyards across Australia, Italy, New Zealand and Chile and their cellar door aims to bring wines from these vineyards together with wonderful cheeses and charcuterie.<br/><br/>On Tuesday and Thursday nights they do a raclette night which you can match with a wine flight. And the wine flights have catchy names like ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ (pictured). It’s the perfect treat for the cooler weather.<br/><br/>Finally, the service is faultless and the waiting staff know their wines. #handpickedcellardoor

Staff very very knowledgable which is what you need in a place like this. Can’t comment about the food as we didn’t have any but such a unique concept where you can enjoy some amazing wines by the glass up to $100 a pop where usually at a restaurant you only get the average wines by the glass. Half bottle shop half wine bar... the Central Otago Pinot I had was slick... hints of cherries, plums, ash, oaky creaminess and burnt butter... nah didn’t really taste any of that crap it was just a good wine.

Right at the end of Spice Alley in Chippendale is Handpicked Cellar Door. And what a fun place to hang out. I love visiting vineyards and tasting different wines, and this place brings the cellar door experience right to you, even recreating the feel of one of those big, airy, high-ceilinged tasting rooms in Margaret River or the Hunter Valley.

If a hot molten river of oozing cheese is your idea of bliss, then you'll definitely want to make friends with raclette. This semi-hard cheese is melted under a red hot grill and then scraped and served over potatoes. It's served up every Tuesday at Handpicked Cellar Door on Kensington Street.

Absolutely amazing place to have a nice chill night with some friends. They’ve got amazing cheeses (I recommend the cheese with truffle!) and their moscato is AMAZING.<br/><br/>Edit: went here again and they don’t seem to have the truffle cheese anymore...sad

Came here for a masterclass on a Tuesday night where they matched different riedel glasses with wines. First time here. Found the sommelier very knowledgeable and all other staff very friendly. Quite liked the decor as well. Simple, clean, organised. Liked the wines and also the cheese platter offered with the class. Nice experience with the class but probably skip that next time and just order tasting flights.

What a delightful evening! This venue has a fantastic ambience and the service was excellent. The Breakfast At Tiffany's wine flight was a delicious and varied flight of sweeter wines. Accompanied with a charcuterie of interesting meats and cheeses, this is the best way I've spent a Wednesday night in a while! The only improvement would be a longer food menu, but it is a wine bar. Plus, you can buy a bottle (or two) of your favorite wines from the flight on your way out!

This place was awesome and heaps of fun. My friend suggested it after having been once before, and for any wine lovers out there, it's absolutely delightful. I know nothing about wine nor do I drink it often, but it was fun to go through the menu and see all the options available. We all went for one of the flights, which is great value at only $30 for 4 different wine glasses! Would definitely recommend this place.

We visited for the last night of the raclette menu and had an amazing time. The space is absolutely beautiful and we were offered second helpings for the raclette which was very generous and much appreciated! The staff were lovely and extremely accommodating - we had a birthday and they very kindly allowed us to bring cake and brought it out with candles. Will definitely return to try out more delicious wines and cheeses!

This place is a hidden gem in Sydney town - crap parking for central area but that is as bad as it gets. Dropped in on the way to airport and enjoyed some great Chardonnay, charcuterie and cheese. Brilliant concept and a great place to enjoy a relaxing wine. Fresh clean presentation - comfortable seating (although chairs are a little uncomfortable on the back - but they look great) and excellent knowledgeable service. If you appreciate some nice clean wines and great cheese and meats you will love this place.

Loved this place on an early Thursday afternoon with a friend. Wonderful staff who helped us select wines to try along with a customised cheese platter.

The whole thing was a joke.<br/><br/>We got given a table, looked like an office table table upstairs, not like a restaurant.<br/><br/>We ordered raclette and wine.<br/><br/>Food arrived a plate at a time. No cutlery on the table. No condiments.<br/><br/>Wine arrived pretty much at the end of the meal.<br/><br/>Our waiter tried hard, but he managed to spill and break two glasses.<br/><br/>The raclette is actually ok but this was the tiniest portion ever. We had to order two plates each so $48. Not cheap.<br/><br/>My lady is vegetarian and does not eat cheese at the moment.(I know, not the right place to go to). She got given a small plate with potatoes, lettuce, and 3 pickles for $20. Lucky her!<br/><br/>My favourite part was paying. After negotiating to split the bill in 3, I tap my card for $120 (per couple).<br/><br/>I am about to enter my pin but the waiter took the machine away. He then entered 4 digits.<br/><br/>I asked him as a joke: How do you know my pin?<br/><br/>He replied no pin needed, it's the system...<br/><br/>We had to explain to him that you need to enter your pin for amounts over $100 and that the payment was declined (because he entered whatever number instead of my pin).<br/><br/>That place should spend money on training their staff not on fancy bathrooms.<br/><br/>I will never go there again!<br/>

The five of us dined at Handpicked on Tuesday for the Raclette. We were all very excited to dine there, after reading raving reviews and seeing photos of the melted cheese wheel. However, we were left rather disappointed, as the raclette part was overly hyped, we didn't even get to see the cheese wheel not once we were there.<br/><br/>We enquired about the ‘vegetarian option’ and ‘pickled onion’ on the menu, however, weren’t given much info about these.<br/><br/>The ‘vegetarian option’, we were told is ‘just like the main “Cheese Dream” but with more salad instead of the meat.’<br/><br/>Instead, it was basically the “Cheese Dream” without the meat, therefore even smaller in portion.<br/><br/>In general, the melted cheese came out half warm and chewy, rather a ‘melted cheese, gone cold and chewy’.<br/><br/>The 'pickled onion' that was on the menu was replaced with gherkins, without explanation. The cheese didn’t come with any explanation. Since they’re selling point is the raclette, we were expecting more explanation on where the cheese is from, what type of cheese it is…or even get to see the actual raclette, but we got nothing. <br/><br/>On top of it all the portions were very small. If we were warned about the portions, we would've ordered extra…we were left highly underwhelmed, disappointed and hungry.<br/><br/>We did give feedback, to give the opportunity to rectify, but the staffs didn’t really do much. They were nice and friendly, however, we felt the staff were all poorly trained. The venue was really nice and so were the staffs, so instead of the 2.5 giving it a 3. Just disappointed in the lack of information we were given, leaving us with the huge gap in expectations.<br/> <br/><br/>The overall experience was definitely nothing to write home about. Maybe we would've had a different experience if we went purely for the wine.

I was very excited to come here for Raclette tuesday but OMG , it was the most disappointing experience I've ever had. <br/>Firstly, the service was bad. Noone served us at all. Then the food came and it supposed to be hot melted raclette but it was cold. <br/><br/>I will never go back here ever again.

Kensington Street is Sydney’s trendiest new dining district. As you walk down the brick laneway it immediately becomes clear just how many different restaurants there are; the range of price points and cuisines makes this street essential to visit. Towards the end of Kensington Street is Handpicked Cellar Door, a beautiful new wine tasting destination.<br/><br/>We visited Handpicked on a Tuesday for the raclette. For those who are not familiar, raclette is the ridiculously delicious Swiss practice that has become a new trend in Sydney. A cheese wheel half is heated up and the layer of melted cheesy goodness is then scraped onto potatoes, pancetta, pickles and rocket salad in this case. To make this vision of perfection even better, the raclette dish comes with a wine flight to match.<br/><br/>Walking into Handpicked, you’re instantly hit with the warm, smoky smell of the raclette in the back of the room. A friendly staff member took us to a table at the lounge and every waiter who walked past us was holding a plate of raclette so we didn’t hesitate to get our own orders in, along with the curated matching wine. As we waited for our food, it was a great opportunity to take in our gorgeous surroundings. The old warehouse turned wine bar has retained its exposed brick walls, and the dark timber floors and modern furniture complete the industrial style of the interiors.<br/><br/>The four wines, a fruity Chardonnay, a very smooth Shiraz, another opulent Barossa Valley Shiraz, and a rich and spicy Cabernet Merlot were all wonderful on their own as well as with food. Our raclette dish, topped with the creamy melted cheese was divine. The elements are simple, but done well: soft and buttery potato, sweet and crunchy baby pickles, crispy pancetta, and fresh and peppery rocket with a tangy dressing. Best of all, every element was further elevated when smothered with warm, creamy melted cheese. The amount of joy that could be had out of getting a little bit of everything on your fork followed by a sip of wine was insurmountable. <br/><br/>Raclette Tuesdays is currently on at Handpicked until the end of July and I certainly am glad I did not miss this. The team at Handpicked have unquestionable passion and knowledge for fine wine and the atmosphere is easygoing and effortlessly classy; the perfect place for an after work drink, date night or get-together with friends.

Handpicked Cellar Door are a boutique wine store now with a recently opened physicla store within Kensington Street’s dining hotspot. They have partnerships with vineyards around Australia, Italy and hopefully more countries to come. We also learned a great cocktail hack during our visit. Simple whisk 1 scoop frozen lemon sorbet (softened) and 1 glass of chilled Prosecco, garnished with what you fancy, pictured here is rosewater fairy floss, some flowers and et voila the easiest, most delicious cocktail to impress.

This is a great venue which caters for a variety of clientele and occasions. Patrons have the option of tasting experience, lounge seating and formal dining. The staff are fantastic! They're knowledgable, friendly, easy-going and hospitable, making for a really pleasant experience. The venue has been designed really well and the has been refurbished beautifully. I would recommend it to anyone!

Handpicked Urban wineries in the heart of Chippendale in the thriving dining precinct on Kensington Street. A cellar door on your doorstep a large space with an industrial feel, complete with a wine store, wine vats, tables for you to enjoy the fruits of the urban wineries or enjoy a tasting at the bar. The winemakers ‘handpick’ fine wine  from famous wine regions around the world and craft it in the style of the region it represents. This will let you travel the world one wine at a time without leaving Sydney. Wines are from Australia; New South Wales, SA, Vic, WA, Tas as well as Italy, Chile and France.

Among the concrete jungle of Sydney CBD lies a little piece of wine heaven. Hand Picked Wines is a little cellar door located on Kensington st in Chippendale. I check out Hand Picked Wines Cellar Door recently on a Tuesday night. I love wine so I really enjoy seeing all the wine bottles on display. My friend ST and I have had an epic few days at work so we are looking forward to chilling. We sit down for an evening of wine, cheese and meats. It's a nice venue for a date or an after work drink. For full review including photos, go to the blog post

China’s luxury spirit, Moutai, can be polarising for some Western drinkers. We tend to head into white spirits thinking they’ll all be like vodka, and assume a good one tastes clean and crisp, and a bad one sets your throat on fire. Moutai is anything but vodka-like - the funky, fruit esters produced by fermenting sorghum are desirable characteristics.When you bring Kweichow Moutai to your lips it smells a bit like nail polish remover (acetone), and it tastes like kerosene, giving way to esters that throw pear and banana, and a bit of soy sauce. I have a feeling that if I could get over these initial hard-to-like palate blasts, what I’d find would be as layered and nuanced as fine whiskey. So my attendance at the Moutai CNY Celebration held at the Handpicked Wines Cellar Door in Kensington Street, Chippendale, was all about trying to get a better handle on Moutai. The event, attended by celebrity guests including Lee Lin Chin, offered up four different cocktails. With...