• The Tasting Table (High Street, Armadale)

I was invited to The Tasting Table (TTT) and was intrigued by the address. As I approached I realised it was previously the site of Nick’s wine merchants. Nick died a few years ago, but he was a bit of a pioneer in the wine industry. He was one of the first to sell wine online. But my fondest memory of Nick was a Chateau d y’quem tasting he had at his store. The store on that day opened at 9am on the Saturday and I was there at the opening queuing up for a taste of the precious sauterne.  TTT location, therefore, has a rich heritage: the store is barely recognisable from its previous incarnation. It’s not a big space but with a minimalist approach to the décor it feels very spacious.

TTT is basically a wine shop, but does have couches to relax and have a cheese platter while drinking or tasting the wine on offer. TTT does offer to order food from any of the nearby restaurants.

The owner of TTT is Jack Mullard, a British guy with a background in the wine industry. He certainly has a passion for wine and sources interesting wines mostly from Australia and Europe. What I like about TTT is that you will find here wines which are unlikely to get any shelf space at the big retail liquor barns. TTT’s concept is to taste a range of wines and then buy the one you like. The store has three enomatic wine dispensers. These dispensers not only preserve the wine but dispense precise amounts for tasting/drinking. The night I visited there were 24 wines on tasting. You have the choice of a 25 ml, 100ml or 150ml samples. The 25ml tastings ranged in price from $1 to $2.50. This gives you an opportunity to try the same grape varieties from a range of countries and to get insights into the different styles of country/winemaker. TTT does offer wine education classes, but the way it is set up at TTT all you need to do is self- educate by doing comparison tastings of the wines on offer. Jack is also there to give his views on the wines.



It’s worth checking out the website to see the different events at TTT. On occasions you can sample up to 24 wines for $5 and this is taken off the price of any bottle you buy. Also the sample wines do change every couple of weeks so at a very modest cost you can try a great diversity of wines over a few visits.

Jack does have a great concept in TTT. Wine retailing is so heavily concentrated in Australia and it is hoped TTT can sustain its niche by its unique offering.

TTT is closed on Mondays. The opening hours vary on the other days:
Tues, Wed: 11am-8 30pm
Thurs, Fri: 11am-10pm
Sat: 10 30am-8 30pm
Sun: 12pm-6pm

About the author
Michael is passionate about food and wine. He worked in the wine industry for 3 years (a dream job) and learnt about food through cooking with friends from extremely diverse backgrounds. Michael enjoys cooking a range of European and Asian inspired dishes, but his main passion is creating cakes, tarts and desserts.

The Tasting Table
1219  High St
Armadale
03 98226754
www.thetasting-table.com.au

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