History
Normanby Fine Wine & Spirits, Auckland’s newest destination for curious drinkers, collectors, and everyone in between, opened the doors to its first site 15 May 2025 - unveiling a redefined approach to wine and spirits retail, both in-store and online, and inviting discovery at every turn.
Normanby reimagines what a wine and spirits space can be — blending an exclusive and extensive retail selection with a relaxed wine bar and café in both Auckland and Wellington. Our Mt Eden, Auckland store also features a private tasting room for more intimate experiences. Alongside this, each space is thoughtfully layered with art and interior pieces sourced and curated by The Estate at Webb’s.
Our original space at 31a Normanby Road, Mt Eden, Auckland, set the tone. At first glance, it feels effortlessly different. Eschewing the clichés of traditional wine retail, it offers a fresh vision — an inviting space for exploration and easy-going enjoyment, thoughtfully designed around how people actually discover, shop for, and enjoy fine wine, spirits, sake and craft beer.
Building on this, Normanby Wellington opened on 30 March 2026 in Te Aro, bringing the same considered approach to a new city. The space continues our focus on thoughtful retail, a welcoming wine bar designed for everyday enjoyment — a place to drop in, explore, and return to.
Led by renowned wine expert Liz Wheadon — one of New Zealand’s most respected voices in wine retail, judging, and industry advocacy, and Webb’s Director of Wine — Normanby was born from a simple idea: that buying wine should feel less like a transaction and more like an experience. It’s a place built on curation, conversation, and the joy of sharing knowledge — where great bottles come with context, and discovery is part of the pleasure.
Normanby Fine Wine & Spirits is the culmination of Liz Wheadon’s three decades in the wine world — shaped by global industry relationships, deep product knowledge, and a clear vision for a more considered, more approachable way to engage with wine and spirits.
As Liz explains: “We wanted to create something we couldn’t quite find elsewhere — an environment where choosing wine, spirits and sake, whether in person or online, is enjoyable, approachable, and genuinely interesting, no matter your taste or budget. Normanby is fine wine and spirits — done differently — and we’re incredibly excited to open our doors to a new era of retail.”
