A busy weekday morning unfolds at the landmark Potts Point Liquor & Deli – a fridge needs fixing and deliveries are busily being rolled in. It’s a scene of organised chaos, but at the centre of it all, store manager Jason Hyland stands genial and calm, getting things organised in a setting he knows very well after 31 years on the floor of this iconic Potts Point business.

Nestled at the nexus of Macleay St and Greenknowe Ave, the bottleshop has been a hub of the local community for 34 years, riding through the many changes the area has seen. For most of that time, Jason has been there. “I started in 1995 and it’s always been a real hub of the community,” he says.

Over the years, the shop itself has grown, expanding into neighbouring spaces while maintaining its familiar, open-door feel. Owned by the family-run hospitality industry heavyweights The Feros Group, the store has evolved alongside a changing Potts Point. Once one of only a handful of bottleshops in the area, it now sits within a far more competitive landscape, with each outlet carving out its own niche.

At Potts Point Liquor & Deli, that niche has become clear. Stocking a wide range of wine and other products, it’s the fresh, easy appeal of rosé that has firmly emerged as a local favourite. Alongside a strong mix of popular Australian, New Zealand and imported wines, particularly French, the category has grown into a defining feature of the shop’s identity.

“People really come to us for the rosé and we have a whole section dedicated to it,” Jason says. “It’s huge for us – you can drink it at any time of the year.”

Beyond that, the store’s offering remains broad and carefully tuned to its loyal local clientele. “Most of our customers are locals,” Jason says. “That’s the beauty of this area. There’s so many different people, different cultures … and lots of dogs,” he laughs.

Like much of Potts Point, the shop continues to adapt to changing habits. “For example, you’re seeing BYO come back,” Jason notes. “People come in and grab a bottle on the way to dinner.” It’s a small but telling shift, reflective of a neighbourhood that still values its local rhythms.

There are small moments, too, that give the shop its character. Familiar faces at the counter, passing conversations, and the occasional well-known visitor drifting through. “You never know who you’re going to see around here,” Jason says.

For Jason, it’s that day-to-day rhythm that has kept him there. The regulars, the conversations, the employee support from the Feros Group, and the familiarity of a place that continues to evolve while still feeling much the same.

In many ways, the store reflects Potts Point itself. Long-standing, quietly evolving, and shaped by the people who pass through it each day, whether for a familiar bottle or something new to take home.

Potts Point Liquor & Deli

https://www.pottspointliquor.com.au/

Phone: 02 9358 3155

By Adam Gibson 

Photo by Simone McAullay