When we chat to Jamie Fleming about the early reception to Spill Wine, the Sunshine Coast vino bar and bottle merchant he recently opened alongside his wife Clare, he’s still a little bit overwhelmed by the amount of positivity that the concept has garnered from tourists and hinterland locals. “I don’t think I’ve ever worked as a part of a venue – or been part of an opening – where I’ve heard the words ‘thank you’ so many times,” Jamie tells us. “I think we’d be lying if we said we weren’t a little bit worried about how it’d be received. But everyone’s gotten on board pretty quickly.” The idea to open a slick, slimline wine bar – one boasting a chic cream and burnt orange interior and plenty of out-of-the-box natural vino – at the quieter end of Maleny’s Maple Street tourist strip was a gamble, to be sure. Sleek slices of metropolitan-style hospitality aren’t common this far up Blackall Range, but that hasn’t stopped locals from Maleny (and surrounding towns such as Connondale, Reesville and Witta) from responding favourably. Chalk it up to Jamie’s nous as a hospitality maven (his popular Brooklyn-meets-Barcelona-inspired bar Alba is about to celebrate its fourth birthday) and ability to make specific concepts seem accessible to all, but with Spill he’s certainly hit a vein of demand.

Boil it down and accessibility might be key to explaining Spill’s appeal. “It was really important to make it easy,” says Jamie of he and Clare’s approach to layout, atmosphere and offering. “What we wanted to do is create something that was comfortable and that was really easy to explain, easy to understand and easy to use.” The sense of utility, in this instance, relates primarily to Spill’s role as a wine store. The space is arranged so as to clearly delineate between retail and bar areas, removing potential confusion at first entry. Shoppers can swing in and swiftly pick from Spill’s wine wall, a centrepiece of a shelving unit laden with bottles selected by Jamie and Clare. The duo are unashamedly putting their tastes in the spotlight, curating a 300-strong selection of wines that they love – predominantly natural, predominantly Australian and predominantly sourced from younger producers. You’ll spy wines from the likes of Ngeringa in Adelaide Hills, Cavedon in King Valley, Macedon Ranges maker Dilworth & Allain, and Edenflo from Eden Valley, to name but a few. With two tiled high tables facing the wall, the Spill team can pick and plonk down an array of drops they reckon will suit your taste – even if there aren’t as many familiar labels on display. “I think step one for us in terms of the wine selection was to not have stuff that everybody else has. Then step two was really showcase people that we felt deserved to be showcased, that are doing something cool and something different,” says Jamie. “And then step three was just make everything delicious.”

Those electing to get comfy on the low-set banquette along the opposite wall (which is coated in mirrors, so the wine wall is always in view) can also pick a bottle off the shelf to enjoy on site, or opt for a sip from Spill’s by-the-glass selection – a tight, frequently changing list that always features one fizz, an orange and a pink wine, as well as a clutch of whites and reds. Things are kept similarly neat and approachable on the food front, with plates of freshly sliced meats and cheeses from suppliers like Saison Meats, LP’s Quality Meats and Maleny’s own Cedar Creek Cheeserie available for grazing. Expect more Sunshine Coast producers to feature on the menu as time goes on, while Jamie and Clare are working on adding winemaker nights and one-off dinners helmed by visiting chefs to the monthly itinerary. Moving forward, the aim is to now keep the selection rotating for their blossoming clientele and giving them an excuse to become regulars. “It keeps it relevant for locals to keep coming in, because we might have something they haven’t had before,” says Jamie. “Plus, any excuse to go up the range and get into one of the amazing AirBnBs that overlook the Glasshouse Mountains is usually good enough for me.”

Spill Wine is now open to the public. Head to the Stumble Guide for operating hours and other important details.

This article was written by James Frostick from The Weekend Edition.