Moody, atmospheric, simple but beautiful. These were the words Phil Sexton, owner of Giant Steps Winery, gave interior designer Wendy Bergman, when planning the winery’s complete redesign.
Before the renovation, Giant Steps shared the Healesville space with Innocent Bystander – a cider, prosecco and pinot gris label. It was a big, noisy, casual eatery with a lot of steel and concrete, Sexton says.
The sale of Innocent Bystander to Brown Brothers is what sparked the redesign.
“We were juggling two personalities,” Sexton says. “There was a lot of stuff going on, we were trying to be the best of all worlds.”
There was a dining area where visitors could order pizza and sample both wine labels, but the tastings were done in separate areas. Giant Steps hosted visitors in a private room where the barrels were kept; you sampled Innocent Bystander at the bar.