Spring has arrived in Melbourne, and I'm ready to get out of the jacket. I've been making a short list of the wine bars I keep going back to.
Here's the surprise: none of them made the list because of the wine. The wine gets me in the door. Something else brings me back.
Number three: Public Wine Shop, Fitzroy North
Public Wine Shop is a terrace conversion, and the upstairs room is the one to find. Some nights there are candles lit, which changes the whole mood of the place.
But I go for the chocolate mousse. It comes with sea salt and olive oil, and I think about it more than I should. Time Out Melbourne gives the bar five stars and describes it as a modern wine bar with communal seating and vinyl, where you can also take bottles home.
Number two: Neighbourhood Wine, Fitzroy North
Neighbourhood Wine has a terrace that I love, and the upstairs is where I'd sit. There are big fans overhead, vinyl playing, and food that is a cut above what a wine bar needs to serve.
Nobody asked the kitchen to be this good. That's exactly why it stays with you.
Number one: Old Palm Liquor, Brunswick East
Head out the back at Old Palm Liquor and you'll find a wood fire. Order the garlic dip with flatbread made in house. That's the thing to have.
Time Out describes Old Palm as a natural-wine bar linked to the Neighbourhood Wine group, with South African-influenced food and a distinctive fit-out. Two of my three picks share a family, which says something about how a group can set a standard for the room and the kitchen.
Why the room matters more now
People are drinking less wine in bars and restaurants. Wine Australia reports that consumption is declining significantly in the on-premise channel, and its latest market reporting puts the national drop at about 3%, just under 13 million litres.
That fits what I see. A good venue gives you something to look forward to that has nothing to do with the bottle.
What I take back to the office
This is the part of hospitality I care about most, and it's what I'm trying to build in workplaces with Coffee on Cue. A crafted drink matters, but so does a crew who remember your name and a space people want to linger in.
It's the same thinking behind our coffee cart hire Melbourne events. If you're planning a gathering, pick one detail guests will talk about afterwards, the way I talk about that mousse, and put your best effort there.
So, which Melbourne wine bar would you put at number one?
