While it might be a multicultural food haven, and home to some of the best laksa in town, Flemington has always been a little slim on wine bars. But Nick Prendergast and Kim Heffernan, owners of Mount Alexander Road's newly hatched wine room The Fox & Daisy, are out to change all that.
They've created a neighbourhood wine bar and bottle shop, where the focus is local — local wines, local cheese, local cured meats. Aimed at all degrees of wine obsession, it's a cosy, relaxed haunt, with a drinks list that runs from the old-world through to minimal-intervention drops. And, since it's sourcing most wines directly from the makers, it's delivering some seriously budget-friendly bottles, too. Expect to find plenty of great bottles for not much more than $20, takeaway.
To match the largely Victorian booze lineup, the Fox & Daisy is dishing up a locally focused food offering, filled with bites that work a treat alongside a glass or two of vino. You'll find the likes of charcuterie and cheese from Savour and Grace, Thursday night's $35 wine and pâté deal (which includes two glasses), and maybe a cheesy raclette fondue once winter descends.
Keep an eye out also for wine tasting masterclasses, vinyl-drenched Sunday sessions (complete with $5 pots and $10 Aperol spritzes) and the odd live act.
Find The Fox & Daisy at 185 Mount Alexander Road, Flemington. It's open 3pm–10pm, Wednesday–Saturday and midday–10pm, Saturday and midday–7pm, Sunday.