Samuel Pepys

Joey Eldar took over this High Street operation after working the floor as its wine buyer, and the shop still runs on that same close attention — around 400 wines and 200 spirits, most from small and independent producers working with organic or low-intervention methods. It sits as both bottle shop and bar, pouring wines by the glass alongside small bites for anyone who wants to sit rather than carry a bottle home. Northcote's High Street has plenty of natural wine competition these days, but Samuel Pepys was one of the earlier arrivals, and the name — borrowed from the seventeenth-century diarist — signals the kind of unhurried, conversational service the shop trades on. Open from midday, seven days, with later hours through the week. A solid stop for Melbourne's inner-north wine crawl, whether that means a bottle for later or a glass on the spot.