The best wine bars in Melbourne

From basement cellars to rooftop taverns, Melbourne has the wine bar experience on tap. You’ll find your favourite tipple in this cherry-picked selection.

Dame

With a firm focus on the long lunch and after-work drinks crowd, Dame is a new concept for the Paris end of Collins Street. Draw back the sheer pink curtain and unveil opulent interiors, marble benchtops and floral centrepieces. Pair your cheese-loaded 'Muffuletta' sandwich with a cheeky lunchtime rosé. Or visit after work until 7pm for King Valley prosecco, French champagne and Yarra Valley pinot by the bottle.

Greta

Drop in to Euro-style Greta for Friday-evening aperitivo hour with complimentary snacks. Any weekday, nab the $30 lunch special, with a glass of vino included. Dip your beef-cheek baguette with mozzarella and pesto into that zingy Napoli sugo for an instant carb-hit. Greta’s well-curated wines hail from Tuscany and Tassie, the Loire and Yarra valleys.

Cathedral Coffee

Wednesday to Friday, teeny Cathedral Coffee morphs into a convivial late-opener. So swap your latte for standout food and wine, and pull up a chair under Cathedral Arcade’s Art Deco ceiling. Bar snacks are inventive, featuring top locally grown seasonal veggies. Who can resist white asparagus and green tomatoes? Natural wines are sourced from around the country.

Willows & Wine

What goes better with wine than cheese? A good book! You get the trifecta at Willows & Wine, a West Melbourne favourite. Potent and virgin cocktails also join the menu, along with beer. Books can be purchased, board games are available, and bites include mushroom pâté and feta with lavosh. Small or large shareboards come with cheese and/or salumi.

Agostino

Settle in at the bar and admire Agostino’s line-up of Italian wines. From your barstool perch, sip on prosecco from the Veneto or rosy-red Tuscan chianti. Pair with pizza-bread nibbles, salami or frites. To linger longer, order a bowl of calamari fritti or spinach tortellini. Browse the full wine list to take home something special from the on-site bottle shop.

City Wine Shop

At the City Wine Shop, you choose a bottle from the wall of wines, then drink it at the bar. Or outside at a pavement table from noon to midnight. Food is brought in from the European next door, and crosses several borders as you’d expect. Start in Greece with saganaki, then jump to London for St John’s bone marrow. Or stay in Italy with salumi and gnocchi pomodoro.

Juliet

With its underground location and European touch, Juliet can’t help feel romantic and a tad clandestine. Relax on the sofa or at a lantern-lit table, and savour wines produced by female winemakers. Enjoy with items from the seasonal, artisan-led menu of bar bites. Maybe herb focaccia, cod fritters or Wagyu tartare. Pride of place goes to local oysters and prime charcuterie.

Bijou

Atmospheric bottle store Bijou serves wine by the glass until the wee hours. The candlelit shelves are laden with boutique labels from near and far. Ease the imbibing with delectable morsels on hand. Soak up sardines and port parfait with chunks of baguette, or a slice of farmhouse terrine. Before you know it, you’ll be best friends with your neighbours in this intimate drinking den.

The Melbourne Cellar Door

You’re spoiled for choice at the Melbourne Cellar Door, with more than 60 wines served by the glass. Beer-lovers take heart: there are over 130 craft beers in the fridge. Whatever your drinks preference, the globetrotting food menu is designed to be shared. How about a Spanish platter, Moroccan skewers and crispy chicken bao? With Sicilian cannoli to finish. 

Handpicked Wines Cellar Door

Try before you buy with a guided wine tasting at Handpicked’s urban cellar door. They promote Australia’s best regional wines. For the full experience, order a flight in the Sensory Bar to learn about cheese and wine pairing from the experts. Choose a cheese and charcuterie platter or raise the bar with a canapé package. It includes caviar, oysters and chocolate-truffle gnocchi.

Romeo Lane

Tiny table-service Romeo specialises in cocktails with pineapple, watermelon and other exotic flavours. At 12am, try the Midnight Mass with rosé vermouth and gentian liqueur. Or keep it simple with a glass of sparkling, Montepulciano or riesling. The focus stays on the drinks, downed with snacks such as buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto with melon.

Coming soon

Bar Americano's Bar Sabbatico

Legendary back-alley spot Bar Americano is going on a sabbatical for 2022. But don’t despair! From 15 April, Bar Sabbatico is taking over inside and out. Enjoy a reservation-only multi-course tasting menu in the mini-sized space. Or roll up for alfresco offerings on the pavement outside, like chilled Italian reds and Snack Shack munchies.