Australia's best wine bars

It’s been almost four decades since Australia’s first wine-focused bar opened in the Melbourne seaside suburb of St Kilda. Today, Dog’s Bar is no longer an outlier, with the format spreading far and wide across the country.

What constitutes a wine bar has also changed since then. Once, it was simply a place where you could get a glass of wine, with or without food. Now, with pubs and cocktail bars boasting impressive by-the-glass lists, restaurants offering bar seating and service, and the proliferation of drink-in bottle-shops, the lines have blurred.

Still, to meet the definition, there are a handful of non-negotiable characteristics. Firstly, wine and, crucially, wine service, needs to be the venue’s primary focus. There should be an extensive and interesting range, both by-the-glass and bottle, and knowledgeable staff to navigate it. If food is offered, the sense should be that it has been designed to match the wines, and not the other way around – as is the case at Melbourne institution Embla. 

Here are some of our favourite wine bars from across Australia. 

Melbourne: Embla 

Ten years on and Embla is still one of Melbourne’s – indeed, the country’s – greatest places to drink. The second venue for chef Dave Verheul and wine guy Christian McCabe, who previously owned Carlton’s celebrated Town Mouse, this dark and moody wine bar is perfect for everything from after-work drinks to date nights and celebratory dinners. Its extensive wine list features baller bottles from Europe alongside top Aussie expressions, with around 20 options available by the glass, designed to faultlessly match Dave’s vegetable-forward, fire-licked dishes.

Embla, 122 Russell Street, Melbourne.

Honourable mentions: Marion, Circl

Embla, Melbourne.

Sydney: Where’s Nick

Founded in 2017 by brothers Julian and Dominic Abouzeid, and run by Bridget Raffal, who came on board as partner in 2020, Where’s Nick ticks all the wine-bar boxes: an interesting, thoughtful 450-bottle-strong list, with around 35 options by-the-glass; excellent service (Bridget was previously the head somm at three-hatted restaurant Sixpenny); a cosy interior; and a menu designed around the wines they pour, which are largely from small, independent producers with ethical and sustainable farming philosophies. Also check out Claret Club, which Bridget and fellow-somm Harry Hunter (formerly of Rockpool, Bentley Group and Dinner by Heston) opened in Darlinghurst in late 2025. 

Where’s Nick, 236 Marrickville Road, Marrickville. 

Honourable mentions: 10 William Street, L’Avant Cave

Canberra: Rizla

Rizla isn’t just a wine bar – it’s a riesling bar. Opened by sommelier Andy Day in late 2019, in the inner-city suburb of Braddon, it offers around 70 different bottles and more than 10 by-the-glass; a list which changes daily and is largely dominated by local producers, with a handful of key German, Austrian, French and Kiwi examples. Food is substantial but directly inspired by the wine list, which does also include a small selection of other grape varieties if riesling isn’t your thing.

Rizla, 146/22 Lonsdale Street, Braddon.

Honourable mentions: Romanée

Adelaide: Jennie

Although it’s hard to top East End Cellars, which has stood as a beacon of fine wine in the city for almost 20 years, Jennie is a more-than-worthy competitor. The small, moodily lit Peel Street bar boasts around 250 bottles, both international and local, many of which are displayed on the floor-to-ceiling wine racks that dominate the right wall. Food is definitely secondary here – the short, sharp menu devoted to anchovies, cheese and other wine-friendly snacks.

Jennie, 7 Peel Street, Adelaide.

Honourable mentions: East End Cellars, Leigh Street Wine Room 

Bridget Raffal of Where's Nick.

Brisbane: Maeve

Maeve is a wine bar by Maris Cook and Jesse Stevens, who own nearby Vietnamese restaurant Hello Please, and Eleanor Cappa, formerly the wine buyer for Melbourne’s Movida. Occupying the first floor of a heritage-listed former bank, it offers a considered and super interesting wine list, with by-the-glass options from Eastern Europe and even the Middle East, arranged by weight and style (“light whites” or “medium reds”, for example) for easy navigation.   

Maeve, Level 1, 39 Melbourne Street (enter via Grey St), South Brisbane.

Honourable mentions: Agnes Wine Bar & Terrace, Cru Bar & Cellar

Perth: Beaconsfield Wine Bar

Located on a suburban strip mall, this 50-seat wine bar is everything your neighbourhood local should be. Matt Sharples opened the venue in 2023, with a something-for-everyone ethos that translates to a wide range of wines, and plenty of space for walk-ins. For food, it means everything from house-baked focaccia to Korean-born chef Kyo Kim’s tofu parfait. 

Beaconsfield Wine Bar, 4B/115 Lefroy Rd, Beaconsfield.

Honourable mentions: Besk, Vincent

Hobart: Institut Polaire

Nav Singh of Domaine Simha and sommelier Louise Radman’s Institut Polaire is a “cold climate wine bar that embraces Tasmania's long held status as the gateway to Antarctica, with a passion for everything cold-hearted.” There are around 100 cold-climate wines – including Domaine Simha – available to order inside the modern, grey and white space, and a seafood-focused menu featuring dishes such as oysters, sashimi and white asparagus.

Institut Polaire, 1/7 Murray Street, Hobart.

Honourable mentions: Fico, Sonny

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