The lowdown
A great addition to Melbourne’s drink-in wine stores, Public Wine Shop takes things a step further with the delightfully elegant plates of Ali Currey-Voumard in a super relaxed room. The vibe here is organic, hand-made and gently handled – for everything, from cider to food.
The nuts & bolts
Opened 2020
Public Wine Shop is just that. A wine shop and bar that operates seven days a week in Melbourne’s inner-north and serves organically farmed, additive-free wines and ciders to take away or drink in.
A one-eyed focus on organic wines, ciders and spirits is what makes Public Wine Shop tick. All from organic vineyards and orchards, all the drinks contain nothing but fermented fruit and the venue is planning for all beer to be organic soon, too.
Led by owner Campbell Burton, who also imports many of the offerings, the Public’s wine list is designed by the whole team to feature wines of character, individuality and site expression. This collective effort ensures that wine buying represents several palates at any one time and guarantees that there’s a spread of wines from diverse regions but, first and foremost, they stock wines that they really love and believe in.
There’s also a sharp menu, by chefs Ali Currey-Voumard (ex-Agrarian Kitchen Eatery) and her sous, Simon Ball-Smith, who take their approach to cooking similarly to how sommeliers Claudelle Savannah, Sarah Fitzsimmons, Sam Rogers and Burton buy and sell wine.
The chefs serve great quality organic produce, preparing it quite simply – perhaps pork rillettes or oeufs mayonnaise – and expect lots of vegetables and fish, house-made cheese and delicious charcuterie.
There are always around 8–10 wines on the by-the-glass list that changes every day. Drop in, stay for a while, snack, sip, or go for a bottle. It’s – quite simply – for the public at the Public Wine Shop. Get involved.
