Nestled on the main street in the quaint town of Yass, less than an hour’s drive from Canberra CBD, is an extremely quirky and charming wine bar. Full of character and with 60-70 Canberra region wines on the menu, Yazzbar is a must visit when in Yass.
If you want to enjoy a night or two away without breaking your budget then head to Yass and explore the amazing restaurants, cafes and bars in the area. Yazzbar is the perfect place to relax with friends, enjoy some delicious eats and sample some of the regions best wines.
Harvey Walsh and Penny Carlisle opened Yazzbar in January 2014 after falling in love with the region’s food, wine, and artistic community. Surrounded by wine, vineyards and winemakers, they thought it was only fitting that they create a wine bar for people to enjoy the many incredible wines in the area.
The couple have transformed Yazzbar into a unique destination for wine lovers to enjoy a glass or three of the many wines they offer. Yazzbar showcases Canberra District cool climate wines, offers tapas-style food, and hosts wine tastings and live music every Saturday night, including Jazz, Soul, Folk and Roots music.
We visited Yass for a night a few weeks ago and arrived on an early Friday evening after travelling from Canberra. We were warmly welcomed and Harvey recommended a range of wines for us to try, his knowledge and passion about wine shone through.
Thanks to Harvey’s suggestion we settled on a bottle of 2013 Collector ‘Rose Red City’ Sangiovese, and were very impressed with our choice. We enjoyed it in the outdoor area while we waited for our cheese and salami platter and dukkha with olive oil and crusty bread to arrive – the perfect pairing with a gorgeous bottle of red. Yazzbar’s selection of tapas-style food includes local olives, Spanish cheese, locally sourced condiments, savoury pastries and more. Everything has been chosen to match the many wines on offer.
It was a gorgeous afternoon and we were so relaxed with the sun setting behind us, a glass of smooth red in hand and a platter of delicious food. It felt like we were a million kilometres away from Canberra. I loved the friendly vibe of Yazzbar and the kind, friendly nature of Harvey and Penny who make you feel like a local. There were only a few people in the bar when we arrived but it wasn’t long before more groups joined us in the outdoor area.
As it started to lightly rain we made our way back inside while another group chose to relocate to the private room where the wine tastings are held. The candles were lit, music was playing and the place was filling up when we moved back inside. It was the perfect place to spend a Friday night in Yass. As we soaked up the atmosphere inside we ordered one of their delicious pizzas and enjoyed it with the last of our wine.
Yazzbar features wine from some of the countries best wine makers including Alex McKay, Tim Kirk, Bryan Martin and Andrew McEwin. With the help of Dennis Hart of Dogtrap Vineyard, Harvey has also created a range of wines, mulled wine and sangria. When visiting Yazzbar, Harvey suggests trying a wine you’ve never had before. He suggests Yazzbar’s house red and white – the 2014 Yazzbar Penelope Shiraz and the 2016 Yazzbar Eliza Riesling.
When I asked Harvey what he loves about wine, he said “It’s exquisite. Wine is about flavour, which some people say is all smell (and smell is all about memory). A good wine stops you in your tracks, makes you look at the ceiling or sky and go, well hold everything right now and savour this moment!”
Yazzbar holds regular tastings and pairings that showcase new local wines, paired with gourmet local produce. They will also be hosting the Yazz Wine Fest on 16th December at the Soldiers Memorial Hall, located on Comur Street, opposite Yazzbar. The festival will bring 12 wineries together in one place with more than 40 wines available to sample. Wines on offer will include award-winning wines as well as new and upcoming wines. There are two sessions (12-2pm and 2-4pm) to choose from and tickets are only $35. You can be purchase tickets on Eventbrite and food will also be available.
Check out Yazzbar’s website and Facebook page for our upcoming tastings and events.
Details
Address: 81 Comur St, Yass
Phone: (02) 6226 3138 or 0409 759 600
Put Yazzbar on your ‘to visit’ list and stay the night in Yass at one of the many motels or the Globe Inn, a beautiful B&B, to make to most of the experience.
This is a sponsored post but all opinions are the author’s own.
Amelia Bidgood
Amelia is the Founder and Editor of Eat Canberra and the Founder and Managing Director of Eat Canberra Food Tours. She's a qualified journalist, presenter, freelance writer and also runs a boutique communications agency working with small business owners on all things social media, content creation and marketing. She's taught cheesemaking classes, judged hospitality and tourism awards, completed the WSET Level 1 Award In Wines, loves to cook and has travelled to 23 countries. She's also passionate about mental health and has recently started studying to become a Counsellor.