Introducing Elise Williams in this month’s Community Highlight, who is one of our regular SCOUT members, and with her husband they have recently opened a new wine bar on Enmore Road - Flight Path. An intimate and inviting bar that aims at bringing the Cellar Door experience to the city. Wine enthusiasts, this one’s for you!

Hi Elise, can you share a little bit of your background and what brought you to this passion for wine?

My husband and I developed a real passion for wine when we lived in Adelaide for 18 months. Pretty much every weekend was spent getting out of the city and travelling to the Barossa, Clare, McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills. We fell in love with cellar doors and the unique, personal experiences we had there chatting with winemakers and fellow winelovers.

A lot of our holidays since then have involved visiting beautiful wine regions around Australia and all over the world.

Can you tell us more about the story of Flight Path, and what makes it special?

Now living back in Sydney with young kids, we don’t get to nearly as many cellar doors as we used to (or would like to!) so our aim with Flight Path was to bring the cellar door to the city. It’s a place where people can walk in any time and try a flight of wines from a winery they may never otherwise have come across.

We see it as a double win - some of our favourite boutique wineries can find some new fans in Sydney, and our customers can discover new favourites and learn a little along the way.

Can you tell us more about how you curate your offering at Flight Path, and how do you rotate?

Our main wine list is a mix of Australian and international wines - some classics as well as some new or lesser known varietals and styles. Mostly smaller producers, but all of exceptional quality - we are all about the wine. With over 30 wines by the glass there is definitely something for everyone.

Then we have a ‘featured winery’ that changes every few weeks, and we like to showcase wineries from different regions around Australia - especially those we think people in Sydney might not have heard of before and which, in our opinion, deserve to be better known!

What does a typical week look like for you?

Flight Path is actually my side hustle, my day job is the Head of Sustainability for a global financial services company. So that aspect of the business is very important to me too, and I’m always looking for greener options and ways to increase our social impact.

I try to get into Scout at least 4 times a week for reformer and barre classes - I really notice the difference in both my physical and mental health if I have a super hectic week and can’t get there much. I also love a Yin class to help re-centre myself and reset when I can fit it in.

I have two boys, aged 4 and 7, so between work and small kids and a start-up hospitality business life is very full! But it’s also rewarding, and I’m lucky to have a great community of support, especially other parents and local friends who have our backs with both the kids and the bar.

What do you most love about your job / Flight Path?

It’s been amazing to see something that started as a crazy idea over a kitchen table come to life, and to find an audience of people who get it and get us. I’m always so excited when we get feedback that people really love the bar and want to come back - there are so many great bars and venues out there, even just on Enmore Road, so if people are choosing our little bar I’m thrilled.

There are four of us doing it together - me and my husband, and another couple who are our good friends - so it’s been great to have someone to share the ups and downs with. We always say at the very least, we’ll be drinking some great wine together!

What is an absolute “must-try” wine of your selection?

With the weather warming up our Edenflo ‘Quincy J’ is just sunshine in a glass - a gorgeous skin contact white blend, hard to beat on a Sunday afternoon.

My absolute favourite though is the Azores Rosé Vulcanico - it’s from a remote and unforgiving volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. I’ve tried a lot of rosé in my time and I think this one is the best I’ve ever had, highly recommended.

What goal do you hope to achieve for Flight Path by the end of the year and/or any exciting things to look forward to next year?

Our biggest aim this year, and next, is to build a community of people who enjoy trying new wines and being introduced to new producers, so we can host more interesting and adventurous events. Perhaps even launch a frequent flyers club for our regulars … stay tuned!

When you’re not working, what are you up to / how do you like to spend your free time?

What free time?! No but truly, I try to spend as much time as I can hanging out with my kids, and with good friends. I love food and wine (obviously) so when I can combine all those things I’m a happy girl.

Where do we find you?

The best place to stay up to date is our Instagram @flightpath.winebar and our website flightpathwinebar.com.au.

We’re offering a 15% discount for Scout Members on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, so make sure you show your membership when you come to visit!

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT - Elise Williams from Flight Path Wine Bar