12 wine bars to try in Melbourne’s CBD
FROM long, boozy lunches and dimly lit date nights to cheeky, after-work tipples — these are the best places to drink wine in the city.
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WINE and the city.
Has a nice ring to it, hey?
Not only is Melbourne the foodie capital of the country, arguably it’s the wine capital, too.
Here are 12 of the best places in the city to raise a glass.
WINE BARS TO TRY IN MELBOURNE’S EAST
Basement, 37-41 Little Bourke St
A wine bar that celebrates the “amazing products crafted by female winemakers and distillers”? Don’t mind if we do.
Housed in the basement beneath Punch Lane, Juliet is a romantic, nostalgia-inspired space that is at the same time inviting and chic while also being oh-so-Melbourne.
And it serves up one of the best vitello tonnato dishes in town, says Herald Sun food guru Dan Stock.
WINE BARS IN MELBOURNE’S NORTH
43 Little Bourke St
A cosy restaurant and wine bar, Punch Lane is one of the original Melbourne Laneway gems, situated in the heart of Melbourne’s entertainment district.
Try: Simão & Co’s Ugni Blanc (also known as Trebbiano) by renowned maker Simon Killeen — an interesting, spicy white with plenty of personality.
Match it with the gin cured and smoked fish with violet citronette, lemon sherbet and violet gel.
159 Spring St
This Spring St institutions offers more than 20 wines by the glass — and a mouth-watering array of nibbles with which to enjoy them.
Bonus — if you fancy the drop you’re drinking, you can buy a bottle at retail prices to take home, or organise to have it delivered.
Try: A glass of the 2016 Dr. Loosen Pinot Blanc from Mosel, Germany and pair it with the buffalo mozzarella with grilled pear and smoked honey.
WINE BARS IN MELBOURNE’S SOUTH
Corner Hardware Lane and Little Bourke streets
Cosy wine bar with all the important stuff: cheese and wine.
Try: Fettucine with duck ragu and a glug of Fonterenza Pettirosso Sangiovese from Montalcino in southern Tuscany.
2/161 Spring St
Rooftop wine and cocktail bar overlooking over Spring Street, Parliament and the Parliamentary Gardens.
Open until 3am, its wines are selected from the extensive cellars of the Melbourne Supper Club below.
First Floor, 161 Spring St
A long-time late night favourite, the Supper Club’s list of refreshments offers a true compendium of great bottles, starting with an extensive collection of champagnes and including everything though to small growers, classic vintages and grand marques.
It’s open until 4am (Sunday to Thursday) and if you really get going on a Friday night, you can melt into a leather lounge with your vino to watch the dawn break until 6am.
122 Russell St
Unpretentious wine bar where it’s all about getting to know and appreciate the craft of making — and enjoying — good wine.
30 Russell Place
For all your late-night wine and gelato needs, Neapoli should be your go-to.
Behind its all-metal and glass facade, this ambient eatery is the ideal spot for a pre or post-dinner tipple, boasting a scrumptious and sophisticated selection of European varietals.
And if you hold out on dessert, you can treat yourself to a cheese platter here, instead.
23 Bank Place
Fancy a drink at the restaurant awarded by Gourmet Traveller Wine as having Australia’s Best Wine List of the Year for 2017?
Not surprising given the menu boasts more than 500 wines, with a focus in Australian drops as well as a great selection of bottles from France, Italy and the US, to name a few.
Try: The 2007 Gravner Ribolla Gialla (orange wine, aka skin-contact white wine) from Italy’s famed Venezia Giulia region — complex, robust and with subtle tannin integration.
Level 55, Rialto, 525 Collins St
If wine with a view is what you’re looking for, sinking back a glass while looking out over the city from the 55th floor of the Rialto tower has got to be one of the best ways of enjoying it.
Lui Bar, at Shannon Bennett’s famed Vue Du Monde restaurant, offers an exceptional wine list, as well as cocktails, beers and bar snacks.
Perfect for casual drinks or as an impressive first date venue.
3-5 Hosier Lane
Anything Frank Camorra (MoVida, Paco’s Tacos) touches turns to restaurant gold.
And this Spanish-style bodega with a mouth-watering selection of Spanish wine, cocktails and tapas is no exception.
You can kick off with some Jerez sherry (perhaps the lighter and drier Manzanilla or Fino styles) before shimmying into a glass of cava (Spain’s answer to Champagne) and rounding out the wine appreciation session with some of the best wines from Spain’s myriad grape-producing regions.
It’s a viticultural tour of Spain’s stunning wine country.
35 Dukes Walk, South Wharf
Waterside wines and share-style plates set against a trendy Spanish-bohemia inspired interior. Try: A glass of Fionula by Quealy Nero D’Avola and some salted cod croquettes.
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