The lowdown
Started as a cellar door slash to represent the Mitchell Harris wines, this wine bar has become much more than that, with an exciting selection of wines from around the world (the avant-garde nestling up against the classic) and simple but clever food to match.
The nuts & bolts
Opened 2013
Function spaces: Various spaces 25–125 guests
Mitchell Harris co-owners – Craig Mitchell, Alicia Linley, John Harris and Shannyn Harris – put faith in their hometown of Ballarat. They believed there would be an attentive audience ready for an urban cellar door in their town of western Victoria. They inherently hoped they could create a place where they could sell most of what they made direct to the customer, and wished it to become a hub for the local wine producers of Western and Central Victoria and beyond.
That faith was well-placed.
The two couples found a dilapidated old brick-and-bluestone industrial shell, most recently an electrical motor workshop and turned it into a vibrant, successful and award-winning wine bar and event space, which has become one of the beacons for eating and drinking in Ballarat and Western Victoria.
Coffee is available all day but we’re here for the wine. Choose from over 20 wines by the glass, and a couple of hundred more from the main list and extensive museum listings.
They regularly change their by-the-glass Coravin selections, and there are seasonally inspired gin, cocktail and beer lists.
The food is designed to work with the drinks: small plates for one, or larger to share using the local produce and a heavy influence from the culturally diverse kitchen team. This may include lamb empanada with currants, apple, rocket, or pistachio and potato pizza with aged cheddar and crisp herbs.
