Smith & Gertrude is one of the latest additions to the bar scene in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge. With a great selection of fine wines, an abundance of vineyard knowledge and tasty sharing platters on offer this should definitely be a place on your Edinburgh drinks to-do-list.
For those not already in the know please tell us a little bit about S&G
There wasn’t a single moment, or event, from which the concept for Smith & Gertrude was devised but rather it was an idea that was honed and refined through our time working in Australia (Melbourne in particular) and the US (New York and San Francisco in particular) and travelling throughout Europe (Italy in particular). I guess the starting point for the business was with both of us coming from big families; as such we’ve always been fans of big group get-togethers where the days/nights revolve around a centre point of communal eating and drinking, listening to music, talking / arguing etc.
With Smith & Gertrude what we have tried to create is that feeling of being part of a shared experience whether you’re here on your own or in a big group. The record player, the books, the magazines – none of these are there simply for aesthetic purposes, we want people to spend time here and enjoy the space as much as the product. It is impossible to write this kind of stuff without sounding epicly pretentious but that is the opposite of what we are trying to do!
Wine is obviously central to everything we do and our approach from the outset has been that we want to make great, interesting, unique wines available to everyone at the best possible price. We get a lot of ‘comments’ about the fact we have wines by the glass at over £10 (we also have a lot under a fiver) – this is simply because we want to give people the opportunity to taste truly stunning wines, wines they may not usually drink, without having to pay £40/50/60+ for a bottle. Clearly supporting local wine producers isn’t that straightforward so we try and do our bit in this regard through our very carefully curated beer, spirit and soft drink selection as well as sourcing our food from local suppliers.
Oh, the name – the only vaguely ‘story-like’ element of the whole thing. Two streets in Melbourne – a crossroads. We hung out there a lot eating, drinking etc. in brilliant independent businesses and where superb, yet relaxed hospitality was key; basically we felt the UK could do with more of these types of places. We figured it would be a good name for a bar if ever we got round to doing it!
You’ve recently won Best New Bar in Edinburgh 2016. Congratulations! What is the key to your success?
There isn’t one, which clearly isn’t a great answer. We’re pretty straight up with what we are / do. I imagine if someone wanted to come in and copy what we do it wouldn’t be that tricky – at least on the surface. Where we have invested, and I think this has been a big part of our success, is in our staff. All of our staff have gone through WSET training – the industry standard wine training – and we hold regular wine tastings in the bar of everything we stock to ensure everyone feels fully briefed and comfortable talking from personal experience about everything we serve here. Clearly the staff get to taste a lot of really nice wine during this ‘learning’ so that helps a lot.
We like going to places where the staff are obviously enjoying what they do and invested in it – we hope that is the case for the team here at S&G. Not exactly a secret?! Everyone we hire (including both of us) has a real interest and passion when it comes to wine and we hope this really comes across to the customers at S&G. I realise I’m repeating myself but there is still this slight apprehension, in fact more than slight for some people, around wine. We want to try and remove that completely. Everyone has their own story of feeling belittled or patronised at some point in a restaurant or bar ordering wine and there’s just no need for it – it’s the opposite of what wine should be about. In our opinion wine is there to be enjoyed and we hope to help folk do that!
Tell us a top tip for any newbies visiting S&G
The wine flights are a really good way to taste a number of wines that you perhaps wouldn’t normally go for and to see how wine and cheese interact and can complement each other. These change weekly and we’re always looking to showcase interesting grape varieties, new producers, unique styles. We also import the majority of our Italian wine directly which gives us direct access to some exceptional producers from our favourite wine producing country, well country full stop actually, and at a very competitive price. With a fully trained Italian Sommelier in the team we feel that we’re particularly strong on the Italian wine front – perhaps even more so than US wines which is where our initial focus was and still holds a special place in our heart (and on the list).
Which three words best describe S&G?
Wine. Cheese. Company. Although I realise that could come across as a touch facetious so how about: Relaxed, Unique, Authentic? I asked the staff- their answers are: Bloody Amazing
Why did you choose this location and what do you love about it?
When deciding where to set up Smith & Gertrude we knew that we wanted it to be in an area where our main customer base would be local. We wanted an area where we could properly settle in to and become a part of a community, and hopefully add something in the process. First off we chose Edinburgh because we loved the fact it has everything you expect of a global city but at the same time it maintains that feeling of being very local and you really feel you can become an active participant in the day to day life here. Then, once we visited Stockbridge, we knew this was for sure the place; 10 minutes from the city centre so perfect in that we feel very connected to the city itself but also with a very clear and unique identity of its own. Crucially – we felt we could bring something to the area and contribute to what is already a thriving business and social community.
Where is your Hidden Edinburgh? A place you go to really enjoy the authentic feel of the city.
Well I’m not sure it’s hidden but the Cask and Barrow on Broughton Street is brilliant for a quiet pint of something excellent – they have a great beer collection but then I guess that could be said of so many pubs and bars in Edinburgh now. When we both head out together it tends to be to grab a coffee and sit and read so Fortitude Coffee on York Place is normally top of the list. If we’re feeling slightly more energetic and Cedric has decided to open (!) then we’ll head over to Anteaques – a one of a kind Tea and Antiques shop. Shop doesn’t sound right – Emporium is really the only word for it.
