The best wine bars in Melbourne

Tucked away in the backstreets of Fitzroy North, Suze is a fun neighbourhood wine bar from two hospo veterans: Giulia Giorgetti, former restaurant manager at Marion; and Steve Harry, a man whose resumé reads like a Melbourne culinary icons list (we're talking Napier Quarter, Cumulus Inc, Auterra Wine Bar and Cutler).The dynamic duo have done the local community a service by filling this two-storey heritage building with all the necessary ingredients needed to make a consummate Melbourne wine bar: seriously well-trained staff, an easygoing energy, and rapidly evolving food and drink choices to reward maturer palates.

If Carnation Canteen and Gerald’s Bar had a baby, it would be Bar Carnation. It’s a natural extension of the original restaurant with a distinct focus on design and experience guided by chef-owner Audrey Shaw’s background in architecture, and a pared-back menu that lets its ingredients come into focus. Set within the old Gerald’s Bar on Rathdowne Street, the bar has maintained the same warm, lived-in energy and buzzy footpath seating. But gone is the shabby-chic mismatch of Gerald’s – this setting is a little more elegant, with wine bottles lining the walls and mirrors angled down to snag a selfie or lock eyes with someone across the room.

Once home to the “best wine list in the country” (as per Australia’s Wine List of the Year 2025; Society now holds that mantle in 2026), Circl caters to every kind of drinker – including those who don’t quite know what they want. It would be easy to lean on that strength, but the food is just as considered. The experience can be as formal or as laid-back as you’d like it to be, whether you’re dropping in for snacks and drinks or settling in for a tasting menu.

The choice to bring a taste of Melbourne’s Hellenic renaissance Glen Iris ensures Bar Sophia is on trend, while a central wood-fired oven and luxurious front bar tick every box on the ‘Cool New Joint’ checklist. But how does Sophia differentiate itself from its classmates? Just six months into life on Burke Road, it has the surety and steadiness of a venue that’s been around for years, where deceptively simplistic fare is delivered warmly, and tenured pros guide you through a long Athenian lunch.

Born from the rollicking success of his Errol Street diner Manzé (meaning ‘to eat’), chef/owner Nagesh Seethiah has expanded his footprint across the road with Boire (meaning, yes, you guessed correctly, ‘to drink’). Manzé’s DNA is present on the menu, where flourishes of Seethiah’s Indo-Mauritian heritage adorn each dish, and authenticity and purpose are the driving forces. Boire does everything you’d hope your neighbourhood wine bar would do, but delve a little deeper and you’ll find something altogether singular in a sea of similarity.

There's a reason that Albert’s Wine Bar has earned its reputation with locals as the spot to hang out. Just as the ideal neighbourhood wine bar should, it serves as the perfect place for a plethora of purposes: a leisurely lunch on a Saturday afternoon; an afterwork drink; a midweek catch-up over a quick but excellent meal. Bring your mates or your mum, bring a colleague or a first date, bring your pup to potter around the patio or even just a good book. Albert’s is achieving everything you expect from your local wine bar, plus a little more.

Wine bars are a dime a dozen in Melbourne, but Ruzia’s offers something different with an inventive menu built around co-owner and chef Ravi Presser’s Polish-Jewish lineage, paired with a strong vino list. Ruzia’s is homely and romantic, with dim lighting, lace curtains and quaint touches like a platter of walnuts sitting on the bench. Caulfield North locals should consider themselves lucky to have this on hand.

The sister bar to Carlton's cult fave restaurant Scopri certainly plays no second fiddle. Upon entry, you’ll fall in love with the beautiful classiness of the 40-seater. It’s stylish and sophisticated with white cloth-draped tables and a tastefully warm and handsome design, plus a welcoming team of well-groomed staff ready to make sure you’re taken care of right away. In a similar vein to fellow recent-ish openings like Apollo Inn and Bianchetto, there’s a modern-vintage feel to Bar Olo that feels distinctly Melbourne. New, exciting and fresh – yet flirting with a bygone era when that special vibe felt, well, more special.

At Public Wine Shop 'sulphur dioxide' is the enemy, and shows its audience you can opt to compromise on chemicals and maintain flavour. The venue is helmed by seasoned sommelier Campbell Burton and his wife Charlotte Ryan and offers an extensive array of local and internationally sourced organic wine. It's a cosy affair with seats for up to 20 people and chef Ali Currey-Voumard (who has navigated her way through Hobart's culinary scene) puts on an Italian-French leaning menu full of hits.

Is Embla a wine bar? That’s a quintessentially Melbourne question of existential proportions. Anyone wanting to humour their assertion could simply point to a wine list that changes like a chameleon and where low-interventionism is the north star. It’s the kind of list where the words “organic” and “bio-dynamic” are only a sommelier away, but fear not: the strike rate here is far higher than at similarly ethosed places.

Climb the stairs to the first-floor bar and restaurant to discover a clubby, handsome space of vintage bar stools, tapestry and brass. Take your time perusing a 20-page wine list, peppered with natural beauties, impressive imports and little-known locals. Minimal-intervention, biodynamic and organic wines form the backbone of this commendable selection.

This casual Melbourne stalwart is always up for a good time in the form of great drinks, welcoming service and a devil-may-care community spirit. And with a new location on Lygon Street, there's no better time to pop in for a visit. It's worth having dinner at Gerald's during your visit; the chef's menu changes daily and there's always something new and delicious to try.

Simplicity satisfies at Brico, a wine bar in Carlton North that champions small local producers. This charming 30-seater is housed in the same historic corner building where Little Andorra, and even further back in time, the famous restaurant of the ‘80s and ‘90s, Tansy’s, used to live. Brico may not be reinventing the wheel, but there’s so much to be said for nailing down the classics. Here’s a team who’ve created an operation entirely dedicated to your pleasure. 

This classic Andrew McConnell venue has some natural advantages over any competitors. For one thing, sharing the vast cellar of Cutler & Co means Marion can lay claim to being the best-stocked wine bar in the 'hood, but in reality, there’s no need to venture beyond the shorter list purpose-built for Marion, stuffed with all kinds of vinous excitement by the glass.

Enoteca Boccaccio opened a few years ago above Boccaccio Cellars, a 60-year-old bottle shop and Italian grocer run by the multigenerational D'Anna family. Since then, it has earned much acclaim, including the coveted 2026 Star Wine List award. By the glass, there are premium pours served via Coravin and available in tiered serving sizes hovering around $30, plus a standard offering at more affordable pricing. Staff are well-informed to guide you through, with in-depth tasting notes and suggestions tailored to your preference and budget. This wine bar gets bonus points for excellent pasta.

To drink at Liberty is to revel in the best of all booze. The only rule about each drop here is that it must be a superlative example of its style. Whether it’s wine, cider, cocktails, whisky, vermouth or even housemade soda, every item on the long menu is carefully curated, the variety and quality on offer hard to overstate.

Swan Street has undergone a facelift in recent years, and let's face it, it was overdue. Reliably busy on weekends with convivial pub-goers, for those who prefer their lubrication with a side of bangin' food, it's historically been wiser to head further north or south in search of greener pastures. But there's a sea change in the air, and Richmond has a re-awakened sense of excitement because Swan Street is, well, she's looking good. One of the most gratifying spots to rise from the COVID-ashes is Clover, a casual but sleek wine bar from the team behind The Alps, Milton Wine Bar and The Moon. 

As much a restaurant as it is a wine bar, Carlton Wine Room comes to you from three industry veterans who have worked under the McConnell and Bartholomew empires. Upstairs is reserved for serious diners, but the front bar and street seating is open for you to drop in for a glass or a cocktail. It gets a little hairy once the sun sets, so strategise or you could be left waiting for a seat.

The City Wine Shop is your ever-reliable stalwart for a sophisticated drink, better yet on a prime slice of real estate along the always-happening Spring Street. The staff here are wine connoisseurs and they want to talk wine (and even taste it alongside you). It’s a great spot for an outside lunch or an indoor wine haunt when you want to hide from the elements.

Owners Almay Jordaan and Simon Denman are describing their East Brunswick wine bar spinoff, Old Palm Liquor, as a pub. We’ve never been to a pub that serves over 300 low-intervention and biodynamic wines alongside 12 tap beers and a super-slick menu cooked over coals with a South African inflection before, but we like it.

Manzé (Creole for 'eat') is a stylish Mauritian wine bar in North Melbourne with contemporary degustation offerings, creative dishes and a stunning natural wine list that puts local and sustainable producers in the spotlight. Chef Nagesh Seethiah opened Manzé’s doors in November 2021 to strong interest, with tables booking out completely in its debut month and often since then. It’s arguably Australia’s highest profile culinary representation of Mauritian cuisine, and a beautiful spot for a sunny terrace vino or a taste of some of the team's fantastic impressive selection.

Melbourne is awash with excellent wine bars and high-end casual dining. In most places, the menu can be predictable, with reliable stalwarts like burrata (slowly being phased out by stracciatella), tartare (tuna or beef), raw kingfish and oily fish on bread sure to make an appearance. But Lilac in Cremorne feels different. Presentation and flavour are all swanky  Melbourne wine bar, but the surreptitious use of offal hints at a refreshing audaciousness. Equal parts eclectic and stylish, Lilac sits in the bones of a warehouse glammed up with a floor-to-ceiling glass entrance, Persian rugs and dusty lavender couches. Slip in for a drop and swoon.

New redevelopments have crowned what was once a prison into what is now fondly known as the Pentridge Precinct: a quirky and modern destination for play, shopping, food and drinks. One of those additions is Olivine, the distinctive and stylish new wine bar housed in Pentridge’s stone-walled B-division. It’s a bit of a journey to get there. You’ll need to roam through the ominous arched walkway and past flickering candles into a dark and gloomy foyer. But once you’re in, you won’t want to leave despite your austere setting.

Located on a shopping strip chock-full of fancy designer boutiques, this unassuming (from the outside, at least) and unpretentious spot is the brainchild of chef-owner Clinton McIver, making it the little sibling of his highly regarded fine diner Amaru. But while Amaru encourages you to go on an extravagant dining odyssey across multiple courses, Auterra is the chilled-out and charming companion – ideal for arvo wines, a cute date or long, lazy Sunday lunches. 

Bahama Gold started out as a liquor delivery service in the dark days of lockdown, but has since transformed into a public bar and wine shop for the discerning explorer. The first thing you’ll notice upon walking into the cosy 12-seater is its warm golden lighting and generous outlook out onto the quietly hip Brunswick East end of Lygon Street. Here, it’s all about funky bottles, like pét nats and orange wines, and a bar-curated vinyl collection that will have you opening your Shazam app all night long.

Getting a beer in St Kilda is easy. Shut your eyes, spin around for a few seconds, start walking in a straight line in any direction, and you'll hit a spot for a pint in no time at all. But a nice cosy nook to sip a wine and suck on a proper fresh oyster? You may be walking for a while – at least, that was the case until the Walrus showed up.

For some of the finest bar snacks in Geelong and one of the most impressive wine lists in Victoria, look no further than Archive Wine Bar. This narrow hole-in-the-wall was started by Ray Nadeson and Maree Collis (owners of Lethbridge Wines) and partners Graham and Ingrid Sutherland. It boasts a 170-strong list of wines by the glass, and Graham can often be spotted at the bar armed with a trusty Coravin. Barolo, Burgundy, Yarra Valley, you name the region, they’ve got it. 

Much fuss is made about Collingwood eatery Commis’ connections to Gerald’s Bar, but even if you didn’t know its trio of co-owners’ were alumni at the Carlton North perennial crowd favourite, you’d be able to distinguish its pedigree. Stepping into Commis’ warm confines is like crossing the threshold of a friend’s house – service is effortlessly affable, laidback and jovial without being effusive or overbearing. Framed artwork depicting fresh produce pepper the walls, and seating is ample – you can choose between leather booths, standalone tables and a generously proportioned courtyard in the event of good weather. 

Ben Luzz, managing director of the cocktail bar Gin Palace, opened up Bijou Bottle Store relatively recently in the heart of the CBD. Here, guests can expect to find a boutique bottle store amidst a teeny bar loaded with cocktails, locally and internationally sourced spirits and wines, and exceptional bar eats (don't sleep on the terrine). 

Amid all the mediocre pasta and manhandling, the warm glow of Kirk’s Wine Bar shines extra bright. Years have passed, but it feels as essential as ever, proving that a classic wine bar, done well, never goes out of fashion. Their list is as deep as it is broad, paying respect to all the old-world staples before giving equal ardour to trailblazing makers like Radikon and local innovators like Memento Mori.

The Moon feels more like the VIP room of a nightclub or a sleek cocktail lounge than a wine bar, but that's part of its charm. Along one long wall, beautifully labelled take-away bottles are lit like art in a gallery. The list of wines by the glass is a good balance of approachable and more out-there natural stuff, with a slant towards Alsatian styles.

Mark Hopkinson and Lyndon Kubis have worked their magic on an old milk bar on Commercial Road, turning the skinny terrace into a sexy slip of a wine bar. Along the wall, some 400 wines, largely boutique Australians and interesting importsare available for you to drink in or take away. The Alps underwent a recent revamp, adding an open kitchen, Roman-style pizza and a leafy courtyard.

A little slice of the Left Bank in South Melbourne, Bellota will win you over with its intrepid wine list, cheese, charcuterie, fresh daily seafood selection and sass-packed service. Chuck back an oyster and cosy up to the marble bar, where the keen staff will keep your whistle whetted with some of its very best. 

A wine cellar in a terrace house sounds better suited to the leafy back streets of Fitzroy or East Brunswick, but Milton Wine is smack, bang in the middle of the high-priced burbs. The tram stops right out front, casually ushering you into a library of wines from Australia and Europe (with a bit of a skew towards Italy).

Educating the good people of Toorak on the wonders of natural and biodynamic wines, the folks at Toorak Cellars have enough tried-and-tested examples to keep everybody happy. Also operating as a generous bottle shop, the woody, communal space is a comfy spot for celebrating great wine, great company and great bottles to take home with you at the end of your visit. 

One of the best bars in the west, Seddon Wine Store is part wine store, part neighbourhood bar. Choose a boutique label to enjoy in the store, or grab a bottle to go. There's craft beers and spirits too if you'd like to branch out, and staff are always on form when it comes to giving you a helping hand. What a winner!

At this ubercool Euro-style wine bar, the vino list is constantly evolving with by-the-glass options scrawled on a chalkboard on one wall. You can opt instead for cocktails, which are mostly Japanese-inspired (as is the “listening bar” concept, an homage to Tokyo’s jazz kissa), yet food doesn’t necessarily follow the Japanese theme, instead taking influence from Italy and, less explicitly so, Latin America. Vintage vinyl, beer and coffee round out the bar as a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, but they don't take things too seriously around here. It's simply a fun and vibey spot to sip and swill wines, from the offbeat to the new and on-trend. 

In the spiritual home of Dame Edna Everage, Strangeloves puts the power firmly in the hand of the punters, by asking the first four guests to choose two reds and two whites. The price of each bottle is then divided by four to decide that day's by the glass list. Oh, and there's over 500 wines on offer, so if you like your wine lists generous, international and diverse, you've come to the right place.

This low-lit, Iberian-style wine bar keeps things deceptively simple and very comfortable, so it is easy to find yourself glued to a stool all night or talking to a regular who makes you feel like you've just walked into their lounge room. Drink from a wine list that reads like an 18 year-old’s gap year hit list with most of Central and Western Europe getting a look in, plus a whole lot of Victorian drops leading the local charge.