David Jones Wine Bar

Great things happen below sea level at David Jones. The city store's basement food hall is a gourmet delight; a maze of cheese, sushi, baked goods, coffee, fruit and all the salivatory treats you wish you could afford to eat every meal. Now it's a drinker's delight, too, with a wine bar taking up one corner of the perfectly manicured, open-plan space.

POURING THE WINE is almost as much of an attraction as the wine itself at this newcomer. The bar is nothing spectacular - just a neat, cream room with dark wooden tables and bar stools - but the wine is something else. Several fandangled cabinets along one wall are lined with dozens of wines and little silver nozzles with digital buttons. The system works as follows: you put credit on a card, insert the card into one of the cabinets, press the button for the wine you want and hold your glass under the nozzle for either a half or full glass. Hey presto, you're a sommelier. Despite feeling like I'm filling up my cup of cola at the movies, this is a fun and non-stuffy way to drink serious wines and a refreshing point of difference, although the constant getting up and down might start to peeve you.

THERE'S NO WINE EXPERT on staff, per se, although a chirpy man who seems to know what he's talking about guides us through the cabinets and picks out some of his favourites. A 2009 Chard Farm pinot noir ($15) and a 2009 Vasse Felix cabernet merlot ($10) are both at the cheaper end and are deliciously dark, fruity and spicy. At the other end, Tyrrell's 2005 Vat 1 semillon, Grant Burge Meshach shiraz, Henschke Cyril cabernet sauvignon and Penfolds Grange are for the big spenders (although you can splash out and try a 70-millilitre sip of Grange for $65). Many wines featured are not widely available and all are served in Riedel stemware to enhance what this place dubs the ''exclusive wine experience''. A Kidnapper Cliffs semillon sauvignon blanc ($19) is another good drop but the bottle is nearly empty and therefore spits out a tiny amount when I choose the ''half glass'' button. Hmph.

AS WE TAKE EACH GLASS back to our tall bar table, two things become painfully obvious. First, there's no music, which seems plain weird, particularly since the food hall turns into a ghost town after 7pm. Second, the lights are so bright it feels as though we're in a laboratory. Both make for a very shopping-mall experience, rather than a cosy hole-in-the-wall-type space. And what's more, we're kicked out at 9pm on a Friday. Not one for the ragers.

GIVEN THE SETTING, at least you can count on the food being spectacular. Even better, it's well priced. Cheeses, cured meats, dips and pates sit alongside simple tapas and light meals, all with wine pairings. Buttery Guilloteau fromager d'affinois ($11.95), Bangalow Sweet Pork leg ham ($6.95) and Spanish jamon iberico de bellota are all to die for. The food is totally extravagant, from Russian caviar dip to campagne terrine, Balmain bugs in lemon and garlic and sweet oil tortas to go with the many white mould, blue and washed-rind cheeses. The lunch menu features a plate of smoked salmon and Tetsuya's ocean trout ($28.50). It's all so lavish, the only thing to do is eat more, drink more and talk loudly to drown the silence.

YOU’LL LOVE IT IF you want to gorge on gourmet food and wine.

YOU’LL HATE IT IF you want a late night.

GO FOR d’affinois, jamon iberico, Grant Burge Meshach shiraz.

IT’LL COST YOU not as much as you might think. Wine by the 70-millilitre glass ($3.50-$65) and 140-millilitre glass ($7-$130), beer by the bottle $5.95-$7.95, tapas $3.95-$23.95, cheese $5.50-$26.95.

David Jones Wine Bar
Address 65-77 Market Street,  Sydney, 9266 5544 Open Mon-Sun, 10am-9pm