Fine-diner O.My is about to add another feather to its cap, opening Bertoncello Wine Merchants at the front of its Beaconsfield restaurant to sell wine selected by The Age Good Food Guide 2023 sommelier of the Year, Chayse Bertoncello.

The wine shop, with seats for up to 15 people to drink in, replaces what was Ned’s Lounge, a small bar designed for more casual visits that opened in 2020. Staff shortages meant Ned’s was often closed and Chayse, along with brother Blayne (O. My’s chef), decided it wasn’t in step with their small tasting-menu restaurant.

Last week, they decided to flip it into Bertoncello Wine Merchants. Two days later, thanks to a favour from their carpenter brother and some local cabinetmakers, the job was done.

A wall and separate entrance now keep the more hushed dining room away from the conviviality of a bottle shop filled with browsers and drinkers.

“There are plenty of places to go get a drink in the area but not many to buy specialty wine or have the kind of service in a shop that you would get on the floor [at O.My],” says Chayse.

It’s an idea the Bertoncellos have been nursing since 2020 at their previous location in Beaconsfield’s former post office, which tragically caught fire a few days after being able to reopen following Melbourne’s lockdowns.

The two spaces will share a wine list, but Chayse is flipping the script and selecting 30 or so mostly Victorian bottles with the bottle shop in mind first. The idea is to move away from book-length wine lists that intimidate diners, but those wanting to delve deeper into a reserve list can give Chayse the nod.

Just about everything will be available by the glass to enjoy on a lounge in the bottle shop, which will be moody and low-lit like the restaurant.

When it opens next week, that might mean Patrick Sullivan Black Sands chardonnay, A & C Ainsworth grenache or Syrahmi demi shiraz. Saison’s current-release vermouth will also be there.

Cheese and other small bites may be added later, depending on how visitors are using the space. A providore selling the restaurant’s sourdough or preserves may also come, while Chayse intends to run casual yet educational wine events on Monday or Tuesday nights, starting soon.

Bertoncello Wine Merchants opens Thursday, May 25.

Open Thu-Sat from 5pm.

70 Princes Highway, Beaconsfield, 03 9769 9000, omyrestaurant.com.au