Meet Quince: The Little Fromagerie & Cellar in Tugun

Tucked into Cornerstone Stores in Tugun is a shop that takes cheese and wine seriously, but never itself. Quince Fromagerie & Cellar is small on purpose, and that turns out to be the whole point.

A small shop with a big appetite

Quince started with a simple idea: a neighbourhood cellar and cheese counter where you could find genuinely good things to eat and drink, and someone happy to talk you through them. No warehouse aisles, no wall of identical labels. Just a tightly chosen range that earns its place on the shelf.

That edit is the difference. Rather than stocking everything, Quince stocks the things worth carrying home: cheese and charcuterie chosen for the table, wine chosen for how it actually drinks, and pantry provisions that make a simple board feel considered. It's a shop you can walk into not quite sure what you want, and walk out of with exactly the right thing.

Curation over volume

Everything at Quince is sourced with the same question in mind: is this good, and would we pour it ourselves? The answer comes from three directions at once. Locally, from Gold Coast and Queensland makers worth championing. Nationally, from Australia's best small producers. And internationally, for the classics that are hard to beat.

That's especially true of the wine. Quince leans into natural and low-intervention bottles alongside well-made classics, so you'll find everything from a cloudy orange wine to a structured red, a crisp white, a chilled rosé or a bottle of bubbles for no reason at all. There's a thoughtfully chosen spirits range too, for when the occasion calls for it.

Friendly advice, zero pressure

The other thing that makes Quince different is Raf. Owner and manager Rafael is the kind of person who'll ask what you're eating, who you're drinking with and what you usually reach for, then point you at something you'll love, often for less than you expected to spend.

There's no upsell and no jargon for its own sake. If you're new to natural wine, he'll find you a gentle way in. If you know exactly what you want, he'll get out of the way. It's an approach the regulars keep mentioning in their Google reviews, and it's the reason a quick stop for one bottle so often turns into a proper conversation.

What you'll find inside

Step in and you'll find the whole table covered:

• A cheese and deli counter, with charcuterie to match
• A cellar of natural and classic wine, plus spirits
• Pantry provisions, condiments, oils, vinegars and good crackers
• Hampers and gifting for every occasion
• Boards, picnic rugs and other bits to set the scene

It all leans toward the same idea, which is making it easy to put together something lovely without much fuss. Browse the full range any time over on the shop.

The cheese room

At the heart of it is the cheese. The counter is the soul of the shop, and it's where Quince really earns the "fromagerie" in its name. Ask for a taste, ask what's eating well this week, ask what to pour alongside it. Cheese platters and grazing boards are built fresh in-store, arranged by hand for whatever you've got planned, from a quiet picnic to a proper celebration. Because they're made to order, the boards are an in-store affair only, not something that ships.

Gifting that doesn't feel generic

When you need to give something good, Quince makes it easy. The ready-made hampers pull together cheese, wine and provisions into something that feels personal rather than off-the-shelf, and they post AU-wide. It's an easy yes for birthdays, thank-yous, housewarmings or a long-overdue catch-up gift.

How to visit (or shop from afar)

You'll find Quince at Shop 5, 570 Gold Coast Hwy, Tugun, inside Cornerstone Stores. The doors are open Sunday to Thursday 9am to 4pm, and Friday to Saturday 9am to 6pm. Pop in to browse the cellar, taste some cheese and let Raf steer you right. There's more on the shop and how to find it on the visit page.

Not local? Online orders ship right across Australia. Delivery is a flat $15 standard or $20 express, and free once you spend over $200, so it's worth building a little box. There's local delivery in Tugun and click-and-collect from the shop too. (A quick note for the cellar: wine and spirits ship under a NSW packaged-liquor licence, and alcohol buyers need to be 18 or over.)

However you find it, Quince is the little shop that wants you to eat and drink well, with someone in your corner who actually cares what's in the glass.