What is Bastille Day and how do we get in the mood? Firstly, a bit about Bastille Day, or, how about we say it properly... La Fête Nationale! The French people have a long, proud and vibrant history of airing their grievances via protests, marches and rallies. 

For you non-wine-drinkers, first of all, we're so sorry. Second of all, this part of the France in not about vino. Le Tour is now passing through Normandy, so it's time to get your Cider on!

Today we're in Loire Valley, pronounced 'lu-are' if you want to sound like a fancy pants later when you talk to your mates about the Tour. We bloody love this region, and we've made some Oz similar suggestions, but if you can get a real deal Frenchie wine from one of our specialist wine stores, do yourself a favour and try one on for size - you won't be disappointed.

Ok ok ok, we know TdF doesn't start in Champagne, but we're pumped and wanted to celebrate the starting lineup - we'll meet you guys at stage 2. During le Tour, we're giving you the lowdown on what wine you can enjoy at each stage of the Tour which will be on point for the location AND we're proposing an Aussie alternative in case your local doesn't have the real deal French. It's a big tour, lots of stages and wine discovery ahead - we're ready... are you?

The TDF can’t be that hard right? They’re just riding bikes. Well you can too… in our TOUR DE BREW! You think you know Margs, and you think you love beer… so why not combine them and show your mates how easy it really is. PS: It’s not easy at all. In fact, the TDF guys ride in a single day, the full length of our TDB. We bet it takes you a bit longer than a day to get around to all of these breweries… but hey: prove us wrong.

We’re all for beer here at Liquor Barons. All beer. Everything has its place. But today especially, on July 4th, in the spirit of all things independent, we give you our top independent beers 6 pack. Enjoy. We are.

France is a long way away, so for all of us who are staying behind and watching le Tour unfold from afar, we’ve decided to coin your efforts at support, as a noble pursuit. And in pursuit of all things noble (and not so noble too), we hereby knight you, part of the Liquid Support Team. Read on for our favourite libation suggestions…

Your accountant will try and tell you that you should save your pennies, because by golly, you’re going to need them. We’re of the opposite opinion. You’re already in the s**t thanks to 12 months of irresponsible (but fun) spending, so why not poke your head a little further into the sand and try to forget about the impending financial doom.  Think of happier times, and avoid the Tax Time Blues.

HINT: We know, that you know, that we know you know, that the Tour de France is an overland bicycle race, held annually in France, competed by many nations, and infinitely more interesting than the World Cup now that Oz is out. So what else is there to know? Read on…

This is a very important post about tonight’s World Cup match between Australia and Peru, at 10pm Perth time. The most important part about this article is the BEARD or NO BEARD comparison at the bottom. Mile Jedanik is described as a ‘man mountain’, and a ‘beast’, and a ‘legend’. We agree with all of the above, and also believe, like Samson, that his strength comes from his beard. Good luck tonight boys - you need it.

We’re all about informed support and so to help guide you through the complexities of French wine (and believe us, there are complexities) we’ve come up with a quick TOP 5 list of wild and worked sav blancs made here in Australia, in that French-kind-of-way. Elegant, restrained, Maybe a little bit of oak, maybe not…. but bloody delicious.

Images online aren’t always as they seem… (we know this - see ‘boyfriends of insta’ for inspo here…) and today we walk you through our recent Winter photoshoot - set on a clear, warm and sunny day… It was hard work trying to give the impression of cooler weather! (**clears throat** ‘hard work’)

Fran is the no-nonsense boss at the Hammy Hill superstore.  It’s one of the largest stores in the group, so we were more than a little interested to hear about Fran’s go-to drink recommendation…

Meet Ross, or Rosco to his mates.  Rosco has owned the Bayswater Liquor Barons for almost 5 years now, and in that time has turned the store into a mecca for organic wines.  Like all of our owners, Rosco has taken an interesting path to get to where he is today.

World Gin Day. Incorrigible. bring it on - we’ll take any excuse to have a cheeky G&T. Here’s our top 5 gins. OK there’s ten. Our top ten. We couldn’t choose - but we did rank them.

Lou has owned the Carlisle store for nearly 30 years, and that isn’t the only business he’s been working on in that time – there are many strings to his bow.  Not only is he the long-time Chairman of the LB Board, a fervent supporter of his local community, and an established cattle breeder, he is also (and most importantly), a wine lover.

Andrew brings decades of liquor industry experience with him – we couldn’t be happier to have him and co-owner Mike, on-board.  Andrew was raised in a publican family, and this is all he’s ever known, so serving the people is in his blood. 

Dinner at mine - PLEASE BRING WINE

A negroni a night for five nights AND this is your chance to give back! In 2013 Negroni week was started, with the aim of raising money for charities around the world. Negroni week grew from 120 venues supporting a cause, to over 7,700 venues internationally. To date, nearly $1.5m has been raised. Drink on!

Steve Perry has been serving the great people of Perth fine wines for decades - we’re polite, so we will not be precise. But rest assured, Steve has sold more Grange than we've had hot dinners, and he is also responsible for keeping his well-shod customers in the know about great-value wines…

If the Wembley Downs store is your local, then two things are for sure: 1) you know Denise: she is vivacious, charming, has a vast knowledge on all things wine and is no sufferer of fools; 2) you’re a loyal customer…

Yep it’s a thing… let’s run with it.  Burgers are fun, and what is ‘real’ anyway? Here's our list of burgers to get take away (or delivered) + your best drink choice so you can smash a burger and let the good times roll on International Burger Day.

Like so many of our store owners, liquor retailing is in Anthony’s blood. He grew up watching his parents run the family liquor store as a child, and grew into a passionate and educated liquor retailer as an adult. To find out more about Anthony (aka ‘Coops’) read on…

Timon joined the co-operative in 2016, and brought with him an energy and commitment which has won him scores of loyal customers. With a Croatian heritage, and a great focus on local producers, Timon has an interesting take on the WA liquor scene…

Wayne has reached almost legendary status in our group.  Being immortalised by Bell Tower Times and Shakey Jakey was just recognition for his straight-shooting ways.  He's a great retailer, a grandfather twice over, and a lover of Jack Daniel's…

We assume you've tried whisky before.  We'll even go so far as to assume that not only have you tried it, you've drunk enough to know what you like and don't like.  We've put together a guide to drinking whiskey - with everything from…

We spend 5 minutes with Ben Marini (owner of Mt Hawthorn), about how he ended a career almost four decades long in the banking and finance sector, to fulfil his lifelong dream of owning a liquor store.

Liquor Barons Lesmurdie is owned by Kym Warr, and it’s fast becoming regarded as one of the whisk(e)y specialist stores within the group.  We spent 5 minutes with Kym to get his perspective on whisky, and to tell us where it all started.

It’s Mother’s Day this weekend, so we thought we’d shine the light on one of our store Mums. Being a co-operative of family-owned and operated stores, we have many brilliant Mums and families serving you every day, such as Karen, at our Greenwood store.

From one mother to another, I can totally relate to how boring 9 months off the booze can be.  You’re comfortable that it’s all for the greater good, but it doesn’t make all the nights out with a pint of WATER in hand, any easier to deal with (or all the ‘helpful’ suggestions that ‘you can actually have a drink’ - each to their own I guess).