Melbourne Winery opens with dedicated cheese cellar

Melbourne Winery is set to open today. It’s being called the city’s first urban winery – but what does that actually mean?

Barman & Larder – the group running recently launched Il Mercato Centrale and St Kilda’s Flour Child – is behind the venture. While it’s both a cellar door and tasting room, the Flinders Lane venue will also feature a basket press where guests can crush their own grapes. It will also sell its own label – although this is created offsite, in partnership with Bellarine Peninsula winery Scotchmans Hill.

The venue will host a wine lab, salle à fromage (cheese room), oyster bar, and rotating art exhibitions. Patrons can also partake in immersive wine experiences like blending sessions, guided tastings, and sensory workshops.

Food is an important element of the venue, although unconventionally, wine leads the palette. Each menu is designed to highlight the drops on offer.

“Melbourne Winery isn’t about tradition – it’s about transformation,” said the winery’s spokesperson. “We’re creating a space where people don’t just drink wine, they engage with it. Every bottle tells a story, and we’re giving our guests the chance to be a part of it.”

The winery will offer 32 varietals as part of its initial range, split into essentials, elevated classics, and indulgent.

“Drinking wine is deeply personal. It’s like art – how you experience it, how you interpret it, is completely your own. We wanted to show people what a winery could look like – if it was born right here in Melbourne,” says the Melbourne Winery spokesperson.

The venue is located at 247 Flinders Lane and opens for its first service tonight.