Illustrative dusk-toned scene evoking Melbourne's evening wine culture — an AI-generated scene, not a photograph of a specific venue.

Independent Guide · Melbourne, Victoria · Wine bars · 2026

Melbourne's standout wine bars.

An independent voice for the rooms we love.

Melbourne

Laneway wine culture, done properly.

Melbourne is Australia's wine-bar capital — a city of laneway hideaways, small-producer lists and sommelier-led rooms where the wine does the talking. This guide ranks the standout wine bars and wine-led restaurants on the public record: editorial best-of lists, Wine List of the Year recognition and public ratings.

15
Wine bars listed
7
With public rating
48
Editorial mentions
7
Neighbourhoods

The best of the best

Standout wine bars

5 of Melbourne's most celebrated wine bars — recognised by editorial best-of lists, wine-list awards and public ratings. Tap any card to visit.

Image note: listing thumbnails are AI-generated illustrative scenes for visual navigation only — they are not photographs of the named venue, its interior, premises or products.

The full list

All 15 — by neighbourhood.

The complete ranked directory, grouped by suburb. Every wine bar links straight to the source. "Recognised by" denotes editorial best-of lists and wine-list awards — not a universal score. Venues without a public rating simply had no citable rating in our research.

CBD

Illustrative scene for Circl Wine House — not an actual photo

Circl Wine House

CBD
by-the-glass depth, rare and fine wine, Champagne & more
Illustrative scene for Gimlet at Cavendish House — not an actual photo

Gimlet at Cavendish House

CBD
fine wine, European list, Champagne & more
Illustrative scene for Embla — not an actual photo

Embla

CBD
natural wine, low-intervention, organic & more
Illustrative scene for City Wine Shop — not an actual photo

City Wine Shop

CBD
part bottle-shop, regularly changing by-the-glass, Chablis & more
Illustrative scene for Cumulus Inc. — not an actual photo

Cumulus Inc.

CBD
50+ by-the-glass, Victorian producers, classic European
Illustrative scene for Aru — not an actual photo

Aru

CBD
400-strong list, amaro program, wide by-the-glass & half bottles
Illustrative scene for Supernormal — not an actual photo

Supernormal

CBD
400+ wines, Riesling depth, Champagne & more
Illustrative scene for Lee Ho Fook — not an actual photo

Lee Ho Fook

CBD
Australian-focused list, fine & aged wine (Burgundy dinners)

Fitzroy

Illustrative scene for Bar Liberty — not an actual photo

Bar Liberty

Fitzroy
natural wine, daily-changing by-the-glass, small producers
Illustrative scene for Marion Wine Bar — not an actual photo

Marion Wine Bar

Fitzroy
Andrew McConnell / Cutler & Co cellar, extensive by-the-glass, 20+ page list

Cremorne

Illustrative scene for Lilac Wine — not an actual photo

Lilac Wine

Cremorne
organic, biodynamic, small-scale producers & more

Collingwood

Illustrative scene for The Moon — not an actual photo

The Moon

Collingwood
small producers, 400+ bottles, hefty by-the-glass & more

Brunswick East

Illustrative scene for Old Palm Liquor — not an actual photo

Old Palm Liquor

Brunswick East
300+ low-intervention & biodynamic wines, natural wine

Brunswick

Illustrative scene for Waxflower — not an actual photo

Waxflower

Brunswick
minimal intervention, Indigenous-yeast natural wines, local

South Melbourne

Illustrative scene for Bellota Wine Bar — not an actual photo

Bellota Wine Bar

South Melbourne
3,500+ wines via adjoining Prince Wine Store, $15 corkage on retail bottles

About this guide

Independent — and honest about it.

Editorial note. Rankings reflect an evidence-weighted editorial assessment based on publicly available information — editorial best-of lists, wine-list awards and public ratings — and are subject to change. "Recognised by" or "reviewed by" denotes editorial inclusion, not an objective score. Inclusion is not a commercial endorsement; where we earn a commission on affiliate links, it is disclosed. Always check the venue's own site for current hours and bookings. 18+ only. Drink responsibly.
Image disclaimer. Unless specifically credited, hero and listing images on this site are AI-generated illustrative scenes. They are not actual photographs of the named wine bar, venue, interior, premises, labels, products, staff or trade dress. Business names and trademarks are used only to identify the businesses covered editorially; inclusion, links, rankings or imagery do not imply affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement, permission or approval by the listed business. If you represent a listed business and would like an image corrected, removed or replaced with an approved image, contact editorial@theaustralianwineman.com.au.