Our Inception

The inception of Cahn and Finlay took some time. Martin Cahnbley and Connal Finlay, had been wine industry friends for some time, colleagues in the NZ wine trade. Martin is an importer and distributor of wines for his company Planet Wine and Connal was a small-time importer, ex-retailer, and wine educator. 

In mid 2018 we decided to go for it and open a shop. This started off as Connal's pop-up shop idea for the Christmas period but quickly morphed into the full on retail shop it now is. 

We had months of creating dreams - elaborate shelving ideas, stairs, logos, company names and etc. Lots of fun was had, many laughs were had, and sufficient wine was consumed during this process.

In September 2018 we thought that we had found our venue in downtown Auckland - the only location we would entertain. We had negotiations and presentations for over five months with our landlords-to-be. However, we did not feel totally comfortable with the lop-sided relationship and hefty tomes of legal papers and started looking for another suitable location.  Martin had spotted a large sign advertising a space in a  character building in O'Connell Street.  He called the landlord and, within a week, our home was found. 

Long story short, we cut our ties at the other potential venue and signed up to our new home at 10 O'Connell Street which had previously housed a top-end Gentlemen's tailor.  A fitting home for a classy Wine & Spirits store.

July 2019 marked our opening, almost a year after the initial seeds were sown.

May this be the beginning of something marvellous for wine and spirits lovers. A place for you to visit and browse our extensive collection of wines and spirits from across the globe.  To ask questions. In time, when our tasting room downstairs is up and running, we shall also host wine tastings, dinners, and wine courses.