S+S Guide to Melbourne Wine Bars

Following on from our last guide to Adelaide Wine Bars, Dan Coward was given the challenge to come up with a guide to Melbourne venues. Melbourne has so much to offer, and after much deliberation, sweat and tears, these are our recommendations, although this article carries a large disclaimer that it is simply not possible to provide a comprehensive Wine Bar guide to Melbourne in under 1000 words... 

There is literally no way to cover off Melbourne’s thriving wine bar scene in under 1000 words (or glasses?), but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to try. During the day drink in the bustling majesty of the City Wine Shop, with its enticing wall of wine, surfeit of global Riesling and the best schnitzel around, before heading upstairs in the wee hours to get lost in the wine bible and comfy chesterfields at the Supper Club. Elsewhere in town Cumulus Up (above Cumulus Inc) is a wine destination in its own right, while Movida Aqui has you covered if you’re in an Iberian sort of mood. For a dynamic one-two punch south of the CBD go to Bellota Wine Bar with its easy European style and the encyclopedic knowledge of the Price Wine Store team before resting up at the big bar table of Port Melbourne’s Harry & Frankie. Like several of its contemporaries Harry & Frankie applies a modest drink-in corkage fee to any of the bottles along its walls. It’s a great way to try something more expensive without breaking the bank. North of the city and your attention could be split between Carlton institution, Gerald’s Bar, and Fitzroy mainstay, the Gertrude Street Enoteca. Both are small, utterly authentic and obsessed with good wine. Finally, if you’re not exhausted or broke head west to Clever Polly’s for a walk on the vinous wild side and then even further west to the Seddon Wine Store to escape the madding crowds. And if you need even more suggestions than that…you’re made of stronger stuff than us…