Cheese, charcuterie and local wines are the stars at the fabulous Winespeake Cellar + Deli. Showcasing the best of Daylesford wineries and local small goods producers, you can pull up a stool and graze inside, or take buy a bottle and put together your own cheese board at home.
Winespeake
Location: 4/26 Vincent St, Daylesford VIC 3460 Ph: 0480 286 838
There are many things that we at Eatability value in life. A delicious meal and raucous laughter enjoyed with friends and family. The scent of a freshly baked pain au chocolat as it emerges burnished from the oven. And a really well put together charcuterie board with a perfectly matched glass of wine.
Well, we are very happy to report that the team at Winespeake Daylesford definitely know their way around both a charcuterie selection and a wine list.
But then given the pedigree of the place, this is hardly surprising.
Winespeake is the second generation lovechild of Jen and Owen Latta and their team. These local champions gifted regulars and tourists alike some great drops and excellent cheeses at Wine & the Country and its foodie sibling, Dos Deli. Now the crew have moved their polished racks of bottles, gleaming stemware and deliciously tempting deli fridges down the road. Literally.
Positioned at the bottom of Vincent Street, over the roundabout, their new premises is spacious and inviting. It also encapsulates everything that makes Daylesford such a fabulous place to visit if you enjoy a good feed and appreciate a drink.
Daylesford is a town that prides itself – rightly – on it’s fabulous local growers and artisan food-makers. This passion for quality ingredients, cultivated within immediate area, and brought to the plate with love and respect, is exactly what we at Eatability love about this charming foodie destination.
At Winespeake Cellar + Deli, this love and respect is clear the moment you walk through the door.
Are you vegan or lactose intolerant? See our piece on Vegan Cheese
Winespeake – The Deli
When you enter Winespeake it’s impossible to ignore the pull of the deli counter to the left. Piled high with a mouth-watering array of cheeses, cured meats and potted delicacies such as pork rillettes, the display is heaven for anyone charged with constructing grazing board for a dinner party. Or maybe not. There are so many sublime things to choose from that having to make a choice could be an insanity inducing endeavour.
Certainly, I walked away from the ‘counter asking my less food-obsessed partner to ‘choose something for me’. After all, I only had a couple of hours to spare.
You think I’m joking? Even the shelves under the cash register are adorned with stacks of tinned fish, pretty as jewels, in eye-catching packaging. I wanted to take them all home, simply because they were so appealing.
Winespeake – The Wine Shop
Further back in the store, shelving choc-full of bottles lures the wine-lover with the promise of a local gem or a hard-to-find-rarity. And if you are a fan of the grape, you won’t be disappointed.
At Winespeake, the focus is on low intervention wine-makers and local producers. And if there’s a particular wine that fits those parameters that you’ve been trying to find, this just might be the place to locate it.
Owen Latta is himself a second-generation winemaker, so he know his way around a vineyard. If you want to try a Shiraz from the Macedon Ranges or a Pinot Noire from Ballarat, the chances are that Winespeake will have just what you’re looking for.
And with hundreds of bottles to choose from, you are spoilt for choice.
Winespeake – Dining
A wooden ledge runs the length of the main window. From this vantage point, customers perched on stools can tuck into gourmet toasties whilst watching the world wander by on the street outside. All with a glass in hand, of course.
The menu emphasises the importance of vino in this smart cellar/deli. Aside from the toasties, there are glorious cheese boards and charcuterie platters.
Looking for a gift for that annoying friend who seems to have everything? Take a look at our Gift Ideas and see if we can inspire you.
As devotees of both a cold cut and all things fromage, my friend and I went for an option that gave us the best of both worlds. We were very glad we did.
Shards of seeded beetroot crackers and jagged splinters of crispy flatbread were angled skywards by salty ribbons of prosciutto and curls of one of the most flavoursome Mortadellas I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.
This delightful porcupine of edible delights came flanked by a creamy soft cheese and a tangy hard one.
With crunchy pickles hiding under Mortadella folds, plump, sun-dried grapes, speckled slices of dried fig, a scattering of walnuts and a wee bowl of a beautifully balanced chutney, it was a thing of beauty – both visually and in the stomach.
This union of wine shop, deli and casual eatery is a winning combination. Harvest Food & Wine in Bendigo works to a similar format. Read more about Bendigo’s dining scene here.
Crucially, it is also the perfect food to idly graze through whilst savouring a glass or wine or 2.
And this is the point. With the best part of 2 dozen wines available by the glass – plus a couple of Spritzes if you want a longer, lighter drink – the glory of the grape is never far from mind at Winespeake.
Even better, for the retail price plus $10 corkage, you can select a bottle yourself from the many shelves and enjoy it there and then.
Our Verdict
Open from 10am Friday to Sunday and from noon Monday to Thursday, it’s great to have a relaxed dining option in Daylesford that is open until late, 7 days a week.
Next time you are in Daylesford, check it out. Though you might want to book ahead. The vibe may be relaxed, but the grazing and quaffing are excellent.
You really don’t want to miss out.
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Harvest Food & Wine in Bendigo has a similar vibe to Winespeake. Read more here.
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