Convenience store-style Drop Shop takes the price pain (and pretension) out of buying great wine

Does the average punter actually care about the wine they’re buying? Or is pretty packaging at the right price enough to seal the deal? These are the questions the folks behind Brunswick East’s latest bottle shop are asking. At Drop Shop, wine snobbery is out in favour of fast, affordable and convenient shopping. Here’s what you need to know about the tiny, 60-square-metre shop.

What is Drop Shop?

Designed like Aesop, run like 7-Eleven. That’s the ethos behind the new liquor store, where just 150 bottles line the fridges across three budget-focused categories: “weekday” ($15 to $25), “party” ($25 to $40) and “fancy” ($40 plus). The idea is to take the decision-making out of the customer experience and focus on how people actually buy alcohol: by occasion, and price.

“You can get in, get out in 90 seconds if you want to,” says co-owner Luke McKinnon. “I fundamentally don’t think many people care too much about wine, but they just like the enjoyment of it, and that’s what it speaks to.”

Drop Shop has landed on a busy Lygon Street thoroughfare, counting local hospitality hotspots such as Etta, Daphne, Charrd and Times New Roman as neighbours; capitalising on the foot traffic of those queuing more thanan hour for a burger, or searching for a bottle to keep the party going after a long lunch.

“The people that work at our store know wine inside and out, and if you want to nerd out with them, you can,” McKinnon says. “But the vast majority of the population … they just want something that’s going to look great at a party or taste great at the dinner table.”

Who’s behind it?

McKinnon’s COVID brainchild came to life in June after he teamed up with Pinot Palooza founder and Wine Victoria chair Dan Sims, while drinks retail specialist Courtney Keegan (ex-Dan Murphy’s, Blackhearts & Sparrows) keeps things running on the ground.

‘I fundamentally don’t think many people care too much about wine, but they just like the enjoyment of it and that’s what [Drop Shop] speaks to.’

Local architecture firm We Are Humble (GoodMeasure, Operator Diner) executed the design, adhering to a brief that aimed to replicate the minimalist convenience of Japanese konbini stores, while creating an approachable aesthetic similar to beauty brands like Mecca. Pink neon illuminates the facade, while simple signage guides the way to your fridge of choice inside.

What can you buy?

Want a natural orange wine for $20? A $50 merlot with a label nice enough to gift a friend? You don’t have to look far – curation is key here. While bottle shop heavyweights like BWS stock more than 100 varieties of the same grape, Drop Shop has about 170 products in total, spanning mostly Victorian wines, a few interstate drops, and a smattering of overseas imports. There’s also a small range of beer, from Melbourne Bitter to craft brews, plus low and no-alcohol options, canned cocktails and RTDs.

“Everything has to work really hard for a spot on the shelf,” says McKinnon. “[Sims] describes it as being ruthless.”

70 Lygon Street, Brunswick East @dropshopdrinks