WineCraft

It’s instantly clear that WineCraft in Paraparaumu isn’t your usual bottle shop. Rather, it’s a boutique store in the truest sense, warm, carefully presented, and refreshingly free of pretence. A relaxed yet refined atmosphere that welcomes wine enthusiasts of all stripes, with meticulously stocked shelves ripe for perusal.

Owner and chief wine taster Brendon Nottage has been immersed in the wine industry since 1987, cutting his teeth at the legendary Rumbles Wine Merchant before building a career across Australia, Europe, and back home in Wellington again. That rich experience and appreciation for fine wine shows in every corner of the store, with the slick monochromatic palette giving it an air of effortless sophistication. It’s set up like a classy wine cellar, with neat shelves and well-stocked coolers surrounding state-of-the-art tasting stations. The name of the shop itself reflects its philosophy: wine, beer, and spirits as a craft to be celebrated, not just consumed.

The store specialises in the unique and the hard-to-find, leaving the supermarket brands for the chains. Instead, you’ll discover bottles with deep stories behind them, some exclusive to WineCraft and others that collectors actively seek out. The tasting stations, stocked with 16 wines, make it easy to explore something new or revisit a favourite, guided by a team whose knowledge is as deep as their enthusiasm.

At WineCraft you’ll find a well-curated balance of accessibility and rarity. Trophy-winning bottles starting at $15 mingle with the rarest wines in the world, such as a $3,300 champagne or Burgundies north of $1,000. The team also imports directly, bringing in Alfred Gratien champagnes alongside Bordeaux and Barossa gems, and is known for sourcing rare wines to order.

Whether you’re after an everyday drop that overdelivers or a collector’s piece to treasure, WineCraft makes the world of wine feel both approachable and elevated.