We walk into Newcomer Wines on a Saturday evening, and the front bar is heaving with the Dalston chic set. It’s a sexy place – clean lines, neutral timbers and a white-tiled, concrete top bar.

Hipsters are perched at and behind the bar, sipping on or pouring the natural wines (predominantly Austrian) that this neighbourhood wine store and bar has become known for. India yellow, citron, pink ruby: the colours splash into glasses and gather at the creases of wine lovers’ lips.

Moving past the front bar, we see the shelves (so beautifully laid out) that showcase Newcomer Wines’ impressive collection of wines by the bottle. There’s no denying that I’m a huge admirer of a striking wine display, and B laughs at me as I run from shelf to shelf gasping and giggling at the selection.

I’m particularly ecstatic when I spot a bottle of Michael Wenzel’s Kleiner Wald Pinot Noir, which I once tasted (read: devoured) at VELTLIN in Prague and have dreamt about ever since.  Michael Wenzel’s bottle labels must also be some of the prettiest out there.

But back to Newcomer Wines – we settle down in the dark back section and take a look at the wines on offer this evening by the glass. The selection changes daily (usually around 10 wines), depending on what the staff feel like pouring. Today Franz Weninger has been in to kick off the new ‘Winemaker Saturdays’ series (one Saturday a month), so six of his wines are available by the glass also. B goes up to the bar to order and comes back with a glass each of Markus Altenburger’s Blaufränkisch Puntini Pet Nat and Franz Weninger’s Syrah Rosza Petsovits Rosé. The latter smells, to use B’s description, “quite hoofy” and unfortunately this taints the experience as we sip. The former however, is a fabulous pet nat that is fresh and vivacious, and we quibble for the last mouthful.

As we drink and talk on our stools in the shadows, B comments on the dismissiveness of the bar staff when ordering. There’s nothing that either of us loves more than chatting about wine with the front of house staff, and we both feel (I go up to order the next round) that the staff aren’t particularly interested in why we’re there or our choice of wine.

Our second round wines are excellent - Enderle & Moll’s Pinot Noir Spätburgunder-Rosé 2017 and Olivier Cohen’s Syrah Cinsault Cuvée Rosé Fonce 2016. On ordering, I’m told quite curtly that the former is an orange wine - which of course is not a problem, we love orange wine! - but the way it’s delivered makes me feel as though I’m not quite cool enough or in the know. Service may sometimes seem like a small thing, but it can easily dampen one’s experience.

B and I agree that the Puntini Pet Nat has been our favourite wine of the four, and we actually pop back in the next day to purchase a bottle, along with a bottle of the Kleiner Wald Pinot Noir. The service the next day is much better, and we have a good chat to the barman about the business and his experiences. Maybe this is because it’s a lazy Sunday afternoon and we’re the only people there, apart from a young woman who’s reading a book and enjoying a glass of wine, with sunlight streaming in behind her from the front window. What a perfect way to while away an hour or two on the weekend.

Newcomer Wines’ strength is in its impeccable collection of wines by the bottle, most of which you can’t find elsewhere. It has tapped into a niche but growing segment of the market, with its focus on Austrian, German and Swiss wines (and of course, ever-popular natural wines). It’s a shame that there isn’t a larger selection of £8 to £20 bottles (most bottles are £25+), which means that this isn’t a place that we’d recommend for those on a budget.

We do think it’s great, however, that the drink-in price is £10 for every bottle. This creates a much better incentive than most other wine stores-cum-bars to stay a while and drink onsite. The food menu is limited (your usual nibbles - olives, nuts, cheese and charcuterie), but it’s enough to accompany a drink or two with friends or a date.

Aside from the bar counter and the beautifully laid out shelves, the seating, table and lighting arrangements could have had a bit more thought put into them (we were sitting on your run-of-the-mill coated steel stools by a benchtop with little legroom underneath, in the very dark back room). There is, however, a courtyard out the back that would be glorious in fine weather.

We’ll definitely be coming back to Newcomer Wines - maybe more so in the afternoon on a nice day, or simply to stock up on some intriguing bottles for our home collection.  For the moment, I’m looking forward to pouring that Kleiner Wald Pinot Noir for B to taste... If you’re interested in learning more about Newcomer Wines and the events they have on, do check out their Instagram account @newcomer_wines