Noble Rot Wine Bar

The wine list, overseen by sommelier Maciej Zimny, is Noble Rot’s pièce de résistance … it has no peer, and rightly wins a lot of plaudits. Comprehensive (with more than 80 wines available by the glass) and thoroughly international, the list is also generously disposed towards the local Wellington wine region. The food, though, should not be overlooked: it’s innovative and it takes a great deal of skill to achieve that deft simplicity. The whole package occurs without complication or fuss, which serves to underscore the strong sense of authenticity you get from Noble Rot. Intriguing touches appear throughout such as the lovely bitter finish of preserved tomatoes with gorgeously light chocolate mousse, rounded out with a dollop of salted milk sorbet. Enjoy the tranquillity of the bar and be cosseted by the closely attentive service.

Noble Rot has been four years in the growth, ever since Hippopotamus sommelier Maciej Zimny and Josh Pointon (Café Polo) teamed up with Salty Pidgin chef Amy Gillies and FOH John-Paul Henderson on a wine course.

It's not just that Noble Rot has a magnificent 400-plus wine list, much of it privately curated, which spans all the best varieties and regions - or that there are 40-plus offerings by the glass.

Rather, it's that they have a new-fangled wine thief which enables them to raid small amounts from their most treasured bottles. Inserting the needles of their hand-held Coravin devices, the wine service staff can extract a little wine and then inject inert argon gas. The needle is withdrawn, the cork closes over, and the contents remain unoxidised.