The 20 Best Wine Bars in Melbourne

Northcote’s High Street is in no short supply of great wine bars and restaurants, but Ruckers Hill stands out as one of its greatest — not for being all showy and full of theatrics, but for providing a proper local neighbourhood drinking and dining experience that is both polished and casual.

Owner and Head Chef David Murphy (ex-Bistro Thierry, Bar Nonno, 1800 Lasagne and PM24) takes inspiration from the Parisian ‘bistronomy’ movement, which emerged in the ’90s as an antidote to the posh, Michelin world of French haute cuisine. This means you’ll find fairly classic eats that are executed elegantly and priced within reason. Wine is also a standout, focusing on old-world drops — with the offerings changing regularly.

From Lyndon Kubis and Mark Nelson — the team behind Toorak Wine Cellars and Milton Wine Shop — The Moon is a touch moodier and a little more refined than previous ventures, and has made a stamp on the northside bar scene at the bottom of a Collingwood apartment building.

The wine offering has a focus on small producers across the board in a curation that reflects places and regions, rather than processes and technique. A hefty by-the-glass selection celebrates locals and foreign finds in equal measure, alongside two craft beer tap options and a rotating bottled range of boutique brews. There’s a serious retail collection sitting pretty along one wall — you can grab a bottle to enjoy then and there, or pick something up on your way home.

Head to the south side of town to Hampton Wine Co. for dinner in both solid and liquid form — here, the wines are just as important as what you’ll be eating. Just near Hampton Station, jazzing up an otherwise sleepy strip, Hampton Wine Co. is expertly run by an ex-Jacques Reymond team. The menu is made up of sharing plates with an emphasis on meat and seafood, but there are enough veggie options to satisfy any surprise dietary requirements. There’s also a banging pizza menu with the Signor George with tomato, flor di latte mozzarella, hot salmi and olives the pick.

Drink wise, the list includes a healthy range by the glass  — including Gippsland Wine Co. chardonnay and Cosmo Wines cab sav — while the walls are full of bottles that can be purchased and drunk at your table. Cocktails include the zesty ‘ Tromba Margarita’ and the fresh and fun ‘Amalfi Club’ with pink grapefruit gin.

The Hampton Wine Co. bar is also a boutique bottle shop, so if you don’t finish whatever wine you order from the menu, you can just take it home with you for a nightcap at yours.

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The Best Wine Bars in Melbourne for 2023

Lygon Street doesn’t have any shortage of Italian wine bars, but Agostino is certainly notable — if not due to its food and wine offering, then because of its history. Making its home in the strip’s King and Godfree building, Agostino was named as a nod to one of the area’s original Italian food pioneers. It’s a homage to Vincenza-born Carlo Valmorbida, the man who originally opened grocery store Frank Agostino’s and whose family has owned (and continues to run) the building since 1955.

From the kitchen, comes a food offering that’s concise, yet punchy — and ever-changing. But it’s the wine program that takes centre stage, heroing a diverse spread of drops from across Australia and the homeland, including a rotation of tap wine. A solid retail selection offers bottles to enjoy in-house or at home, while the temperature-controlled cellar plays host to a covetable reserve list, filled with rare labels that have been housed here for years.

If you hit up a Melbourne wine bar and find ten wines offered by the glass, you’re doing alright. If you get 20, you’re in for a real treat. But Circl Wine House in Melbourne’s CBD is doing what few hospo venues can by offering a whopping 150 drops by the glass and 1500 by the bottle.

You’re absolutely spoilt for choice when it comes to what vino you’ll be sipping on, but the Circl crew is taking it one step further by pouring one extremely rare wine each week. These drops are limited to 75ml per person, to ensure everyone gets a go. Spanning Australian and international vineyards, the selection will be highly curated, and feature the likes of Coche Dury, Roulot, DRC, and old vintages from top producers in Australia.

Punch Lane’s downstairs sibling Juliet has a bunch of cool stuff going on — including the fact that its modus operandi is to support and represent female winemakers, distillers and cheese producers. For a dose of girl power and, really, just a great night with nice vibes, head down to the basement bar on Little Bourke Street — it’s all pink neon, concrete and hand-blown glass down here.

The venue offers a swag of signature cocktails, alongside cheese, charcuterie and snacks; think: salt cod croquettes, freshly shucked oysters and anchovies on toast. Settle in with a tasty bite and a mandarin martini or two, and you’ll never want to come up from underground.

Internet radio station Hope St Radio found a new permanent home in 2021, opening the doors to a wine bar and kitchen within the revamped Collingwood Yards. Also dubbed Hope St Radio, the venue boasts an expansive space beside the precinct’s central courtyard — its bright, roomy interiors decked out with timber booths and fun mural art by Peter Cole and Alice McIntosh.

Food-wise, it’s all about the after-work snacks and dinner options; best enjoyed alongside some local beers, sustainably produced wines, or serves of Fernet and coke. Unsurprisingly, music is a big part of the bar’s DNA, with a custom sound set-up courtesy of Hot Wax Sound Systems featuring tunes from Hope St Radio’s expert curation of musicians and artists.

Image: Tom Blachford.

If you’re looking for some hard-to-find wines, Malvern’s Milton Wine Shop is a clear go-to in Melbourne’s southeast. The cosy bottle shop isn’t just for takeaway, either — the venue doubles as a wine bar that slings rare drops by the glass. The venue is split across three spaces, including the bottle-o, a living room with fireplace, and a sun-filled courtyard. The latter is a rare outdoor gem that can also be used in cooler months, as it’s heated and enclosed.

Expect both old- and new-world wines on offer at Milton Wine Shop, with a focus on quality winemaking. By the glass, there are orange and chilled reds alongside the usual red, white and rosé — with ‘interesting and rare’ drops from France, Italy and Austria. The expertly curated wine list by the glass helps make this one of the best wine bars in Melbourne.

Situated opposite Parliament and alongside the theatre strip, City Wine Shop is not the place to venture for a beer and happy hour special. On the contrary, this is the Melbourne CBD wine bar you go to for a glass of chablis, cheese board and a serving of fried artichokes — or even some fine caviar and champagne.

Choose from the by-the-glass wine list — which changes regularly — or simply buy a bottle from the on-premise bottle shop and settle in at an outdoor table, overlooking the Spring Street suits. It’s a classic setting for year-round romance, whether you’re seeking sanctuary from winter inside the rich wooden warmth, or a splash of sun with your latte on a street-side seat.

Image: Tess Kelly

Swing by Waxflower, a Brunswick neighbourhood wine bar, for minimal intervention wines, local craft beer on tap and great coffee — stick around all night for the banging soundtrack. This Weston Street spot’s music edit is as considered as its food and wine offer, thanks to two custom-built, wall-mounted speakers, designed by Hobart designers Pitt & Giblin, that feed music generously into the space — which itself features walls that have been specifically designed for better acoustic treatment.

The music is curated by a revolving lineup of local and (when possible) international DJs, and is not defined or limited by genre, but instead aims to champion rarity, diversity and inclusivity through tracks that might not necessarily find their way into the clubs. The wine list is another star of the show, heroing minimal intervention and natural winemakers who use only Indigenous yeasts to create totally unique drops.

Image: Julia Sansone.

This standout Melbourne wine bar is a destination for flavour lovers who aren’t afraid to try a few new things. Sure, you could stick with your favourite rosé and a spread of charcuterie and leave (very) happy, but creativity reigns supreme on both the menu and drinks list, so it’s well worth digging a little deeper.

The sommelier will wheel around an old-school globe bar trolley to tempt you with the evening’s pouring wines — that change on the daily. The food is a must here, too. Order some of the inventive sharing plates, that include the likes of grilled lamb tongue skewers drenched in a sweet and sour apple and garum glaze, and the cured venison with beets and bone marrow. Expect the wonderfully unexpected at Bar Liberty.

This beloved Fitzroy wine bar sits within a legendary Aussie crime boss’ old underground casino. Alphonse Gangitano left this spot back in the 90s, and it was left untouched for about 20 years, until the current team took over and made it into a true drinking and dining destination in Melbourne — keeping most of the building’s charm and original features intact.

Nowadays, you’ll find southern Italian eats on the seasonally changing menu, alongside a 300-strong wine list. But don’t fear if you’re no professional sommelier — the slick, approachable staff are more than happy to talk you through the options and suggest an ideal match. For those going by the glass, there are six whites and six reds on offer, as well as a small selection of sparkling, rosé, sherry and fortified.

Brought to you by those clever folks behind the Town Mouse (that sadly closed back in 2018), the Russell Street wine bar is instantly inviting, with a chic, yet warm, European charm. The cosy confines mark it as perfect date night material, while stools lining the bar and open kitchen lend themselves perfectly to some sophisticated solo dining.

A considered pouring list plays to both the curious and the more conservative. Here, you’ll feel just as comfortable sipping a chardonnay from Mornington as you will avoiding a hangover with a low-intervention number, like the 2011 Pheasant’s Tears Rkatsiteli from Georgia. Technique-driven, but not pretentiously so, the food at Embla is as great as you’d expect from the Town Mouse team; the menu proves a winning blend of comforting flavours and chef flair. All of this combines to make one of the very best wine bars in Melbourne.

When someone like Andrew McConnell opens a wine bar in Melbourne, the expectations are high. When that bar sits beside the guy’s iconic, two-hat Fitzroy restaurant Cutler & Co., forming some kind of wining and dining super-spot, you can bet they’re even higher. But you can rest assured that Marion lives up to all that hype.

First off, the drinks list is a stunner — an exhaustive compilation with something for every palate and budget. You can drop by for an aperitif, unwind over a couple of glasses of local wine, or really settle in and share your way through a bottle of something foreign. And to round it all off, the small rotating food menu is comprised of innovative dishes ranging from elegant snacks to more generous belly-fillers.

He’s the person responsible for the original iterations of Three Bags Full, Top Paddock, and Higher Ground, as well as well-loved wine-focused bars and eateries like Hazel and Dessous. Now, Nathan Toleman and his Mulberry Group team have spread their wings to Cremorne, taking over a converted warehouse for their wine bar Lilac — a smash hit for sips, snacks and lazy feasts alike.

Lilac’s oft-changing food offering doesn’t focus too heavily on any one genre, instead pulling together a melange of Aussie nostalgia, Euro sensibilities and French bistro flair. The matching wine list proves just as eclectic, focussing on organic and biodynamic varieties. Trend-bucking small-scale producers get plenty of airtime at one of the best wine bars in Melbourne as well, though quality reigns supreme throughout.

Image: Kayla May Photography.