Whanganui business The Burrow opening riverside wine bar in coming weeks

Homeware previously jammed in the deli next door is now pride of place in the front of the building. Photo / Bevan Conley

A wine bar next to the Whanganui River should be open in time for summer.

It’s the newest venture by The Burrow owner Annette Jones, who is expanding her operations across the entire ground floor of 49 Taupō Quay - the heritage building next to the Whanganui City Bridge.

The Burrow delicatessen is next door at number 45, along with her beauty clinic Skin Lab (formerly Indulge Skin Spa).

Jones said the bar - The Burrow Cellars - had been thought about a lot “by my customers, not by me”.

“Everybody just wanted to sit and have a wine back there.

“There is a thing happening in Whanganui where we have craft breweries, and we might even have cellar-door wineries in the future.

“We’ll have French wine and Italian wine, and we’re working with Soho Winery for the New Zealand ones.”

Bars that previously used the deck by the river include Vega and Lucky, with The Riverside occupying the front of the building in years gone by.

“I really wanted that deck, so our coffee people can use it during the day as well and have a great view of the river,” Jones said.

The front of the building, most recently the site of restaurant Gracias, will become The Burrow Select, featuring homeware previously “jammed” in the deli.

“No one could really see it in there,” Jones said.

“There are candles, clothing, all that sort of thing. Hopefully, it lights up that corner again.”

The Burrow Cellars will soon be making use of the deck at 49 Taupō Quay. Photo / Bevan Conley

The Burrow moved to Taupō Quay 12 years ago.

“It took a little while, but I definitely think people are coming down here more and more,” Jones said.

“They are coming from out of town, coming to the [Whanganui River] market; it‘s a busy little hub.

“The bottom block [of Victoria Ave] is great as well.”

The four-storey Johnstone & Co Ltd building at 49 Taupō Quay has been owned by structural engineer Dmytro Dizhur since 2018.

Since mid-2021, he has been refurbishing and strengthening the inside.

Dizhur said Jones’ vision really resonated with him.

“I had a few other propositions from people with different types of restaurants, and there was another pub, but then I spoke to Annette and I got her vision for the place.

“She has got some really grand plans for that area. To me, [a wine bar] seemed like a good thing to have in such a central location.

“It should open in a matter of weeks and make the most of the summer that’s hopefully coming.”

Dizhur is currently putting the finishing touches on high-end apartments upstairs.

“The bottom [floor] had to complement that and work together,” he said.

The building was constructed in 1914 for a general merchanting, shipping and insurance company.

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.