Old boys club gets Where’s Nick makeover at charming new Darlinghurst wine bar

A claret club is, historically, a members-only drinking club for those with a penchant for Bordeaux reds. Think exclusive parties on the lawns of Oxford colleges, posh men with symbolic tasting rituals and executives paying thousands of dollars in membership fees, and you would be on the right track.

But Claret Club in Darlinghurst, from the owner of acclaimed Marrickville wine bar Where’s Nick, is none of that. Rather, it’s the kind of place where anyone can wander in for an excellent glass of wine and a little bar snack, minus the Old World elitism.

“That’s just not our style,” says Bridget Raffal, who co-owns Claret Club with partner and fellow sommelier Harry Hunter. “It’s a big part of our philosophy not to gatekeep or hoard wine.”

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You can find the European-inspired wine bar and restaurant in a charming two-storey terrace overlooking leafy Stanley Street. When it opens this week, Raffal looks forward to sharing a wide range of local and imported wines (30 by the glass and eventually up to 800 bottles in the total collection), from an approachable $15 glass of chilled Domus Vini sangiovese to a $1300 bottle of 2005 Chateau Pavie Saint-Emilion Grand Cru from her personal collection.

“In Sydney, fine wine collections with all the trimmings, like the proper glassware, the provenance and the storage, have usually been reserved for the pointy end of fine dining,” Raffal says.

Raffal and Hunter have done that before. Between the two of them, they’ve worked on some of Sydney’s finest wine programs, at restaurants such as Sixpenny in Stanmore and Bentley Restaurant + Bar in the CBD. This time, they want to offer that level of care at a mid-range price point, in a way that feels warm and easy.

“We want people to be able to drop in and have a glass of wine [without having to] part with the world. At the same time, if they want to … throw down on a bottle of wine and have a beautiful whole confit duck roasted with pickled cherries, they can do that too,” Raffal says.

Claret Club aims to be a wine bar in the truest sense. The bar itself is the focal point, and head chef Andy Buchanan (former executive sous chef at Balmain’s hatted Dry Dock pub) had one brief when designing the a la carte offering: “Give us a menu that works with wine.”

The kitchen kicks off with a tight selection of European-inspired dishes, beginning with snacks such as pig’s head croquettes with salsa verde and gnocco fritto with anchovy and sage. Mains include confit duck and market fish with sauce vierge – each meant to be shared, but available in half-sizes for solo diners.

Tables are available for booking in the dining room and balcony upstairs, but the ground-floor bar is reserved for walk-ins. It’s a policy inspired by a southern European approach to dining – spontaneous dinners, long lunches and the occasional Tuesday-night red.

“We want to capture that sense of ease with extravagance, and put some love and energy into sharing a meal with people,” Raffal says.

Claret Club opens Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm, and plans to open for Friday lunch in the new year. Holiday hours are updated on Instagram.

77 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst, instagram.com/claretclub