Just wanted to let everyone know that I was asked to be a contributor for this new Melbourne wine bar guide, an ideal Christmas gift for the adventurous!
“Have you noticed the quiet revolution taking place across Melbourne city and its suburbs? Where once there was a proliferation of cafes, now it’s wine bars. In any neighbourhood they can be found, from Glen Iris to Kingsville and beyond. In the arc of Carlton to Collingwood, there’s practically a wine bar in every block. Melbourne’s bar scene is now all grown up.
Melbourne DRINKS WINE features 52 enchanting wine bars, more than half of which opened in the past few years. These are the new grown-up corner stores that express the maturation and essential nature of our relationship with wine.
The guide profiles bars with Spanish, Italian or French leanings, and also the hyper-specific Project 49 which represents wines from northeastern Victoria’s Beechworth and surrounds. Other venues favour ‘natural’ wines such as Cult of the Vine, while Tom Pockett Cellars negotiates exclusive supply direct from winemakers. The move towards spending on experiences rather than ‘things’ partly explains the growth of these wine bars that retail exquisite bottles of wine to be celebrated and consumed in good company.
Some wine bars open early for no-reason-required Champagne breakfasts, and many remain open until the small hours. Wine bars are where you can go for a decent coffee after 3pm. They’re our new meeting places, somewhere to prime your appetite with an aperitif or end an evening with a nightcap. Most double as wine stores, so try a glass and buy a bottle on the way home, or make a night of it. Many of the featured wine bars have the kitchen chops to go entree to entree with the city’s best restaurants.
Wine bars are havens of all that is great about hospitality. They’re inviting, comfortably appointed, usually offering table service and conversational acoustics, with wait staff who are passionate about sharing what they’re serving. From tastings to educational courses or winemaker dinners and wine and food pairings; come for the sheer pleasure of tasting something unique, chosen with care and consideration.
Luckie Guides are 100% independent. No venues pay to be included. Their format is unique: a deck of cards in a sturdy box with a flip top lid. Each pack features 52 cards profiling a single venue plus two ‘Luckie Seven’ cards featuring seven of the best. For Melbourne DRINKS WINE this means the best regional wine bars and the best online wine boutiques.
Available online for $14.99 and at good bookshops and gift stores.”
Melbourne Drinks Wine
The Intrepid Wino 