Australian sommelier and Over A Glass podcaster Shanteh Wale has collaborated with wine delivery service A Glass Of to redefine the way we think about a glass of just that. The catch? Wine is delivered to you in pouch form; spanning premium wines to indie cult cool, in a bid to get you thinking outside the bottle.
Wale has helped curate the pouch-perfect hit list that arrives at your door in 200ml pouches – think La Kooko Verdelho 2023 and Scion Daylight Red 2023.
Shanteh Wale talks to The Write Drop for our At the Bar series.
MY CITY
Sydney, it’s a spectacular city to live in. I’ts bustling and busy, and has the harbour as an escape route to beaches, quiet National Park foreshores and surrounding suburbs.
FAVOURITE FOOD MEMORY
Omakase sushi experiences, there has been a few around the world, I am still in awe of the art of perfectly prepared fish on rice.
FAVOURITE BAR
PS40- I’d leave it up to the bartenders, they know their stuff. Give them a base spirit and let them take off.
DRINK THAT DESCRIBES YOU
Yikes. Probably a French 75, bubbly with a bit of zing?
BEST HANGOVER CURE
Caesars ALL DAY LONG with pickled beans and a painful amount of hot sauce.
BEST INTERSTATE BAR
Manzé Bar in North Melbourne. A glass of Bandicoot Run chardonnay and a fish wing.
FAVOURITE WINE
Of late, a bottle of 2022 Canobolas Chardonnay with my family, experiencing wine through the lens of others can be so interesting and informative.
FAVOURITE WINERY
Andrew Thomas Wines in the Hunter Valley is always a good time, it’s like drinking in the Hunter Valley one glass at a time.
NEXT DESTINATION
New Zealand, the landscape is just magnificent, and the Pinot Noir styles vary quite drastically in each region.
FOR THOSE SKEPTICAL OF A POUCH POUR WINE, EXPLAIN WHY THERE’S NO QUALITY DIFFERENCE?
Firstly, there is a best before date on all the pouches, consumers certainly don’t get that on a bottle of wine and they probably should. The foil-lined pouches provide an excellent barrier to oxygen and light, just like a stelvin/cork and the coloured glass does for a bottle. Plus, the pouches are much lighter and require 73% less energy to make than glass.
TELL US ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF A GLASS OF CONCEPT?
A delicious single glass of wine is almost always a good idea. A Glass Of is rethinking how we consume wine, it’s thoughtful, mindful enjoyment.
WHAT DOES THIS SORT OF PACKAGING REFLECT OF CONSUMER NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS
Waste not want not, we are conscious of what we put into our bodies and how we treat our planet, the conversation is ongoing and so too is the developments and improvements for beverage packing and shipping.
HOW EASY WAS IT TO GET THESE WINE BRANDS ON BOARD – WILL MORE BE COMING?
I went straight to winemakers I respect and adore; they were thrilled to get involved and I don’t doubt many more will be scrambling to take part.