Small Wonder Cellar Door & Restaurant opens in the Tamar Valley
The venue features four new spaces including a private function room, cellar door, outdoor area and a restaurant. Image supplied.
“We’re ensuring the kitchen team are across the Small Wonder winemaking process and understand each vintage so they can build dishes that genuinely complement the wines, rather than trying to pair them after the fact,”
Previously revealed in July, the Small Wonder Cellar Door & Restaurant officially opened last Friday, 18 September.
The new venue features four new spaces in Tasmania’s Tamar Valley: the cellar door, a private function room called ‘The Wine Library, an outdoor area known as ‘The Garden’ and a seasonal, hyperlocal restaurant led by Michelin-trained head chef Konstantin Putkin.
The Small Wonder restaurant
The Small Wonder restaurant “will offer a shared tasting menu which will evolve alongside the seasons and celebrate the very best of Tasmanian produce”. Head chef Putkin is set to collaborate with an array of local producers, including Summerlea Farm, Springfield Deer Farm, Littlewood Farm, Seven Springs Farm and Wattle Hill Olives for the offerings.
“Our menu at Small Wonder centres around relaxation and generosity, just like dining at your family home. We’re focused on exceptional produce, prepared simply and thoughtfully, with dishes that encourage people to gather around the table, share food and enjoy the experience together,” said Putkin.
“For me, the greatest pleasure is showcasing Tasmania’s extraordinary produce and the people behind it. We’ve built strong relationships with dedicated local growers, farmers and producers, and their ingredients really shape the way we cook and what we put on the plate for our guests.”
The debut menu will include dishes such as a venison and wallaby sausage with spring peas, fermented chickpeas and sauce charcuterie; a long-line-caught market fish from Kyeema Seafoods with fermented Hillwood strawberry, leche de tigre, compressed spring citrus and wild fennel; and a pork cutlet from the nearby Fork it Farm with larded black gastrique, burnt onion, house mustard and pickles.
In the future, the restaurant “will host quarterly, seasonal long lunches for up to 56 guests to enjoy a curated dining experience”.
Throughout the venue, the full Small Wonder wine range will be on pour with Putkin and his team “working closely” with senior winemaker Ockie Myburgh to design a menu that aligns with the portfolio.
“We’re ensuring the kitchen team are across the Small Wonder winemaking process and understand each vintage so they can build dishes that genuinely complement the wines, rather than trying to pair them after the fact,” said Myburgh.
“The team are also working with us to develop their own Small Wonder verjuice and vinegars for use across the kitchen and bar, and are constantly looking for ways to make use of every part of the winemaking process to further our connection between site and plate.”
Bartender-turned-consultant Jake Down of Distild (World Class Australian Champion 2024 + Bombay Sapphire Champion 2023) has curated the cocktail and non-alcoholic list in the Small Wonder restaurant. Down has crafted a list inspired by the landscape, produce and seasons of Tasmania “to shine a light on the growers, producers and artisans that make the region unique”.
The Garden
Outside, The Garden “will offer a casual, a la carte dining menu” which will include options such as croquettes with local Pyengana Dairy cheddar, caramelised leek, fermented jalapeno and black garlic mayonnaise; house buttermilk Nichols Poultry fried chicken with last season’s fermented cherry hot sauce and Fork it Farm cured meats, local cheeses and house-fermented pickles. The Garden will also host live acoustic music sets each Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
The cellar door
At the cellar door, guests will be able to taste six wines from the Small Wonder portfolio for $25pp, with “the tasting fee waived upon any two-bottle purchase”. Winery Tours will also be available for $50pp, which “gives guests a behind-the-scenes look at the Small Wonder winemaking process before wrapping up with a tasting in the cellar door”.
The Wine Library
The Wine Library will also host bookable Wine Masterclasses which will run every eight weeks for groups up to 20. The space will also be available for private event bookings.
“The Winery Tour will be a chance for guests to have a deep-dive into our winemaking process here at Small Wonder and see firsthand how closely our winemaking team and kitchen work to create a cohesive experience,” said Chris Morrison, venue operations manager.
“We’re also keen to become a destination for wine education in the region through our regular Wine Masterclasses. It’s a great opportunity for guests to ask more about wine and the process behind it in a fun, relaxed setting.”
The design
The design of the Small Wonder Cellar Door & Restaurant was led by Kerry Hill Architects (Singapore) and local Tasmanian firm Edwards + Simpson. The building is “clad in locally sourced and hand-cut bluestone to blend into the natural environment while inside features Quartzine stone bar tops, textured plaster, and dappled glass with satin nickel framing”.
Sustainability is also “at the core of the Small Wonder site”, with 128 solar panels lining the build alongside electric forklifts, on-site water treatment and lighter-weight glass bottles across all production. In the kitchen, Putkin and the team have “implemented systems that eliminate around 90% of single-use plastics by switching to compostable wraps, bags and other environmentally responsible alternatives”.
Art advisors ‘The Artling’ have “curated a selection of Australian pieces to star in and around the Small Wonder venue”, including works by Tamar Valley-based artist Dallas Richardson as well as Tasmanian artists Alicia King and Stephen Bond.
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