Where art meets the aperitivo hour, Saison is bringing a distinctly Australian approach to the bar at Sydney Contemporary.
Joining the Fair as a new partner for 2026, the Melbourne-based aperitif company is known for its seasonal, ingredient-led vermouths and amari, drawing on local produce and a culinary approach to flavour.
As part of Art + Dine, Sydney Contemporary’s new program bringing art, food and hospitality together across the city, Saison has collaborated with artists Reko Rennie, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Michael Zavros and Joan Ross to create a series of limited-edition drinks inspired by their practices, palettes and personal tastes.
We spoke with Saison founder Dave Verheul about the craft behind the bottle, the natural crossover between art and hospitality, and what happens when an artist’s work becomes something you can taste.
Saison Aperitifs joins Sydney Contemporary as a new partner this year. What drew you to the Fair and its audience?
We’ve always cared more about building genuine relationships with the right people than chasing quick wins and Sydney Contemporary felt right for many reasons. We’re a privately owned Australian aperitivo company and are humbled to now be poured at some of the best bars and restaurants around the world. That said, Australia is home, and always will be. So, activating our first major bar at a world-class art fair such as this at home is an amazing opportunity. Over the years, we’ve also noticed something about the people who found us early: they’re creative, they care about craft, and they love a sharp drink. This felt like a perfect reason to bring aperitivo and art together and to share Saison with a few new faces.
Pictured: Quince Negroni inspired by Michael Zavros. Created by Saison Aperitifs for Sydney Contemporary Art + Dine.
How did Saison start, and how do you balance innovation with classic aperitif culture?
Saison started with a simple idea: vermouth and amaro didn’t need to be dark, heavy, or locked into old-world styles. They could be brighter, fresher, more singular in flavour, and enjoyed in a number of different ways. That’s really where the name comes from: Saison, because we capture our favourite seasonal moments and bottle them.
My background spans 25 years in professional kitchens, which translates straight through into our production, using refined technique and hands to extract flavour in its most expressive form, always from real, honest ingredients. My partner (and wife) Tash has over 20 years experience building and growing brands globally. Between us, it’s a pretty complementary team and the “old world vs. new world” aperitif question is one we actually talk about a lot.
Vermouth and amaro carry hundreds of years of European tradition, and we respect that completely, the botanicals and the patience. But a lot of that tradition was built around what was seasonally available in Piedmont or Turin, not Melbourne. We honour the past but we don’t treat it as a museum piece to replicate. We take that same discipline and process and apply it to what our local growers and foragers actually produce here, some that I believe are the best in the world: fruit, flowers and rare herbs, picked at their peak, the same way we do it in the restaurant. It’s less about reinventing the category and more about asking why the rules can’t flex to the season and the place we occupy in the new world.
Image: Walnut Sour, Inspired by Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran. Created by Saison Aperitifs for Sydney Contemporary Art + Dine.
How do you see art and hospitality intersecting?
They’re both ultimately about creating a moment someone remembers. A great meal, a great drink, a photograph or a great artwork, they all do the same job: they slow you down and make you notice something. That’s part of why we put so much detail into how every bottle of Saison is made, there’s no shortcuts or artificial flavouring. It’s harder and labour-intensive, but I really feel that’s the difference between something that’s just consumed and something that stays with you. In hospitality we also talk a lot about atmosphere and energy; artists are doing something very similar with colour, scale and emotion. It’s a great thought, having those two worlds sit in the same room.
Why is Art + Dine a natural fit for Saison?
Because it’s built on exactly the same instinct Saison was: taking something real, capturing that moment and bottling it. We’ve always celebrated culture and creativity with people who share our ethos, and so we were genuinely pumped to collaborate with Reko, Ramesh, Michael and Joan. They are truly some of the best artists in Australia and for us, that meant really understanding more about each artist, before we could turn it into a drink. Tash and I met with each of them to learn their palate and flavour preferences: Ramesh’s pull toward intense, dry, rich pours; Joan’s super-taster precision and love of florals; Reko’s need for something spritzy but never too strong; Michael’s pull toward rich, resinous flavours that echo his Greek heritage. Each drink was built from there, in partnership with our good friend Sam Thornhill from (Melbourne bar) Byrdi.
What excites you most about the collaboration?
When we developed pairings with the artists, no two conversations were the same: one led with a specific ingredient and a memory, another led with colour, another with a very particular texture they wanted the drink to have. It keeps us honest about the fact that Saison isn’t a fixed formula, it’s a way of listening to a season, or in this case, to a person’s work, and translating it into something you can taste. That and the fact, it was pretty amazing to learn more about how some of these incredible artists think and how to then translate their practice into flavour.
What’s next for Saison?
Our instinct is the same as it’s always been: grow with integrity, without diluting the things that make it Saison: seasonal, ingredient-led, made without shortcuts. We love what we do, and we’re genuinely passionate about what we’re making. If we can keep sharing that with people around the world who genuinely appreciate quality and a good bitter drink, well, that’s our strategy right there.
