Northcote

Amy and Nam Tran took over this High Street bottle shop in August 2017, building on a business that already had a decade of trade behind it rather than starting from scratch. The range leans toward organic, biodynamic and preservative-free wine, with vegan-friendly labels figuring prominently alongside a boutique beer selection pulled from small Australian and European brewers. Top-shelf spirits and liqueurs round out a range chosen for character over volume, and staff are known for talking customers through a bottle rather than just ringing it up. It sits within walking distance of Northcote's restaurant strip, in a pocket of Melbourne where independent food and drink retail still holds its own against the majors. Open seven days, with hours running late into the evening from Wednesday through Saturday — a specialist's shop for wine drinkers who want a second opinion at the counter rather than a self-service aisle.

This compact independent nursery stocks an extensive range spanning indoor and outdoor plants, natives, fruit trees, orchids and ferns, alongside seedlings, seeds and bagged soil products. Garden equipment, pots, fertilisers and plant health supplies round out the offering, with friendly horticulturists on hand to advise or order in anything not on the shelves. Local delivery is available from $20, and the shop opens seven days a week.

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.