Wine & Wheels at Peregian Beach Hotel
Peregian Beach Hotel’s best-kept secret is hiding in plain sight. John Caruso went looking and found more than he bargained for.
We all know of the Peregian Beach Hotel (PBH) for the big stuff – the alfresco space out front, buzzing and shaded through the afternoon as the sun drops; live music that gets the crowd singing along by the second chorus; functions and events that turn into “the best ever,” according to at least three different group chats; plus its generosity when it comes to giving back. It’s a venue that does good times and community service properly.
What fewer people realise, at least until they’ve driven through it, is that the PBH also has a Wine Store and Drive-Thru connected to the hotel itself.
They’re part of three boutique bottle shops including Sunnies at Sunshine Beach and Cellarbrations in the IGA Peregian Beach complex.
Owners Kylie Plunkett and Sam McGrath are clear on the distinction that what’s on offer at the PBH is a wine store, not just a drive-through bottle shop because while the convenience is real, the range behind it is the big story. Inside, Kylie, Sam and venue manager Phil have made a habit of debating about what deserves shelf space, and you can taste the difference.
Ask about a bottle and you’ll get an answer with a backstory attached – where it’s from, who makes it, why it earned its spot. Pinot Noir has become something of
a house specialty.
“We do love our Pinots,” Kylie says. Her current pick, the Kooyong Massale Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula, comes with its own bit of nostalgia attached. “This one really takes me to the area – we spent plenty of time there when we lived in Melbourne, and this feels like the peninsula in a bottle.
A perfect spring red – light, juicy and ready to drink.”
The team has built relationships with small, family-run producers from Tasmania, the Mornington Peninsula and across the ditch in New Zealand – places with a personal connection for Kylie and Sam, whether that’s a stretch of coastline they used to call home or a wine region Sam’s family has ties to. When Sam and the team are deciding which wines to order, they get more excited about the hard to source, often unknown producers than the bigger well-known brands
“There are so many amazing small producers out there, and we love bringing them to our customers,” Sam says.
Right now, Sam is talking up the Clonakilla 2025 Riesling which he describes as “a Riesling for people who don’t think they like Riesling.”
“Fine and delicate but still complex, definitely not a lip-puckering citrus burst, and worth stepping out of your comfort zone for,” he says.
He’s also got a lot of praise for Terra Sancta Shingle Beach Pinot Noir from Central Otago, a wine he reckons shows off New Zealand cool-climate winemaking at its best – and renowned wine critic James Suckling agrees, having handed it 99 points. Beer gets the same careful attention as the wine.
“We have lots of local labels in the fridge: Boiling Pot, Heads of Noosa, Brouhaha, Your Mates, Black Flag; our customers really love them,” says bottle shop attendant Luke, who’s behind the counter most days of the week. But it’s Range, an independent producer from Brisbane that’s built its own following. Known for punchy packaging, sharp label design and beers that rarely sit still on the shelf for long.
“Our Range beer enthusiasts come in regularly to find the latest offering, because you never know what you’re going to find in our fridges, with limited batches dropping weekly,” Luke says.
New releases roll through every couple of weeks rather than settling into a permanent lineup, and there’s a small but committed crew who’ve cottoned on to the rhythm, swinging by on delivery day, then coming back later in the week for round two. Venue manager Phil is squarely in the Range camp too and when asked which he loves his response is quick.
“All of them,” he says, admitting that these days his true weakness sits a shelf over. “My big favourite at the moment is Casamigos Añejo Tequila. It’s a heart-warmer! Easy to drink, too easy, not harsh, just smooth and delicious.”
This is where the Drive-Thru matters. Because for all the care that goes into the range, the PBH is adamant this isn’t a wine bar in disguise, dressed up and unapproachable. It’s still very much a ‘grab your tallies on the way home’ kind of place. Tradies roll through for a 6-pack most afternoons, and that’s exactly the crowd standing shoulder to shoulder with the Pinot enthusiasts.
The point isn’t choosing between interesting and easy, it’s that you can idle in the Drive-Thru, order a wood-fired pizza off the takeaway menu, and roll away with dinner, a bottle of something good, and change from a fifty. There’s also a gift-shop corner tucked into the wine store that surprises and delights. Alongside the beverages, you’ll find Pottery for the Planet cups, a small run of organic chocolate, and PBH-branded merch – think shirts, calico totes, water bottles and stubby coolers. It’s turned into an incidental gift shop for people who arrived for a bottle of wine and left with a birthday present sorted as well. Kylie’s own spring pick lives in this territory too – Zoncello Limoncello Spritz.
“It’s a current fave with our customers as well,” she says. “Pour and add ice!”
None of this is dressed up as a wine bar experience. It’s a bottle shop that happens to have people behind the counter who care, stocked with the kind of finds you’d usually have to hunt for, sold to you through a Drive-Thru while you’re still in your work boots. Great times, good food and live music got the PBH on the map. The Wine Store and Drive-Thru provide extra reasons for people to keep coming back.
