Discover Melbourne’s Urban Wineries: A Blend of History and Innovation
Melbourne’s Urban Winery Scene Is Older—and Bolder—Than You Think
A new venue dubbed Melbourne Winery is set to open in the heart of the CBD this month, bringing city-centric winemaking into sharp focus. With its sleek fitout, $3 million investment, and prime location on Flinders Lane, this ambitious project by hospitality heavyweights Barman & Larder (of Mercato Centrale, Left Bank, and Flour Child fame) is positioning itself as the first-ever urban winery in Melbourne’s city centre. But scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find that urban winemaking in Melbourne has a history as rich as a well-aged shiraz.
Located in the heritage-listed Ross House, Melbourne Winery offers more than just vino. Think cellar door shelves lined with Melbourne Winery-labelled drops, a modern restaurant framed by barrels, and a compact space dedicated to grape crushing activities—albeit only during the vintage season. The real winemaking, including fermentation and bottling, happens off-site at Scotchmans Hill on the Bellarine Peninsula. So while the wine has a Melbourne label, its roots are planted a couple of hours away.
And the claim to being “first”? Not quite. Back in the 1880s, Dr L.L. Smith was crafting Victorian “champagne” beneath Bourke Street’s Eastern Market. Fast-forward to today, and other true urban winemakers are quietly making waves in Melbourne’s suburbs—right from grape to glass.
Take Jamsheed in Preston, for example. Founded in 2019, this hybrid winery, cellar door and restaurant completes every part of the winemaking process onsite, from grape crushing to fermentation and bottling. Owners Gary Mills and Elika Rowell endured a long regulatory journey to set up shop, but now serve a loyal local community, many of whom are young families and hospitality workers who call Preston home.
Meanwhile, in Port Melbourne, Nikki Palun has transformed a small industrial unit into a thriving urban winery under the Susuro label. Since 2023, she’s produced minimal-intervention wines, shaped by both her limited space and equipment. Her whites are fermented on skins and barrel-aged, resulting in textured wines that pair beautifully with food and reflect their urban terroir.
Even Brunswick has its own story to tell. Noisy Ritual, which started in 2016, hosted hands-on winemaking workshops and developed a cult following. Though their on-site production has paused, their vibrant, chilled reds still flow, made in past vintages and served in a laid-back, inner-north venue.
So, while Melbourne Winery in the CBD might be the flashiest new entrant, it joins a proud lineage of winemakers blending creativity, community, and a bit of inner-city grit. True urban winemaking isn’t just about proximity—it’s about passion, process, and doing the hard work where the heart is.
Wines to Try from Melbourne’s Urban Makers:
2023 Noisy Ritual Funny Business Chilled Red – A juicy mix of nero d’avola and chardonnay, tangy and perfect for warm nights. $34 – noisyritual.com.au
2023 Susuro Farfalla Sangiovese – Made in Port Melbourne from Adelaide Hills grapes, this sangiovese is ripe, pretty, and food-friendly. $35 – susuro.com.au
2023 Jamsheed Beechworth Roussanne – A complex white with spiced honey notes and creamy texture, made in Preston. $44 – jamsheed.com.au
Why this matters: Urban wineries in Melbourne are more than a trend—they represent a movement grounded in local creativity, community connections, and a deep respect for winemaking traditions. As city dwellers grow more curious about where their wine comes from, venues like these are proving that great wine doesn’t have to come from the country. Sometimes, the best vintages are born in laneways and warehouses, just around the corner.
If you're a wine lover—or just love Melbourne's layered stories—this is a scene worth sipping on.
