Whisper Wine Bar

Owner Thierry Rodari moved to Perth in 2008, leaving behind his life as a successful hairdresser in the hustle and bustle of Paris.

“Why not do something else, somewhere else?” Thierry remarks on why he decided to move halfway across the world.

While it may seem like a leap, hairdressing and bar managing are actually quite similar to Thierry. Offering the “same kind of one-to-one customer experience,” something Thierry was searching for when he landed in Perth.

Stepping inside Whisper Wine Bar, expect a warm greeting from Thierry or one of his charming staff. “After nearly 13 years, I know many of my customers personally. Everybody says hello and goodbye here,” says Thierry of the community he’s created.

Whisper emulates the type of intimate wine bar you’d stumble across on a corner in Paris. The interior, designed by Thierry, pays homage to the Fremantle building's 19th-century history as a former flour mill with the original limestone walls still intact since 1862. The furniture, casual and paired back, appears effortless when in fact, much thought went into its layout. Rustic wooden tables and velvet-upholstered chairs creates the allure of sitting in the living room of a friend's apartment whilst sipping wine and nibbling on cheese and baguettes.

As a Frenchman, Thierry says it is somewhat of a requirement to have an interest in wine.

“I test and select the wine myself, it’s my taste, it’s nothing trendy. If there is one fault, I disqualify the wine. If there is no fault, I try to find something interesting in it that I can explain to the customer,” he reveals. 

His carefully curated list offers both homegrown and international grapes. Southern WA wines like Merum Shiraz from Pemberton, or the Castelli SBS from Denmark to the French cellars of Delamotte in Champagne and Croze Hermitage from the Rhone Valley. Plus Italian, German and Spanish labels make an appearance.

Food is simple and homemade to pair with Thierry’s wines. Indulgent charcuterie and fromage boards, freshly baked baguettes with butter and olive oil, and the occasional specially made delicacies. “The highlight is a homemade duck and pork terrine. The confit duck is from Perigord in France, salt, pepper, onion, green peppercorn and free-range pork from down south [Western Australia].”

By his own admission, Thierry is a travel guide, transporting customers to the French Riviera of St Tropez or the streets of Paris with the sip of a rose, French champagne or any grape variety from his menu at Whisper. “The best is the first sip,” Thierry declares. 

Take a seat at a bar table or upstairs on the balcony overlooking Essex Street and let yourself, for an afternoon or evening, take a journey with a little French fancy. Thierry’s love of wine and connecting with his customers is what makes an experience at Whisper such a memorable one.

Discover more of the best small bars in Fremantle here.

Photo credit: Whisper Wine Bar