Melbourne's beating heart must surely be a wine bar. The city's finest purveyors of this integral aspect of our city have kept up standards with their only northside venture, the Moon in Collingwood. Owner Lyndon Kubis stands by the adage 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it with his foolproof business model of "part wine bar, part bottle shop". The proof is in the pinot, and the Moon follows its older siblings, the Alps, Toorak Wine Cellars and Milton Wine Shop, to deliver a curated selection of wine that you can have takeaway or drink in.
Upon opening in 2017, The Moon's only food offerings were simple cheese and charcuterie boards. That's certainly not bad; however, in 2020, Kubis partnered with dynamic chef Charley Snadden-Wilson to create thoughtful and intentional food to complement your favourite drop. Former head chef of Brunswick's Etta, Snadden-Wilson is undoubtedly adept at this.
The menu is unshouty and agreeable – designed to cater to the snacky inclined or those after a complete feed. The bones of the menu stay the same, but aspects change weekly depending on the produce available. Light, fresh share plates of cured meat, fish or veggies are usually available. Contender for the best bite of the year comes in the form of fried bread with anchovy cream and tomato. The uncredited pickled fennel with the savoury anchovy cream has the tried and tested salt & vinegar-esque flavour punch of your favourite chippies proven to work well with booze. A handmade pasta dish is also a staple, currently a chewy cavatelli with pickled shimeji mushrooms and earthy shaved truffle. The menu is deceptively simple, and Snadden-Wilson expertly creates fare that caters to a full flavour spectrum using minimal but well-chosen ingredients.
With over 400 wines available and a rotating 'by the glass' menu, the wine selection is balanced and serves all palates from the most seasoned to the burgeoning. Reds, whites and pinks are at hand, along with their fizzy friends. New-wave drinkers will appreciate the skin-contact wines and chilled red selection. This includes a delightful blend from South Australian vintners Yeti and the Kokonut, who partnered with DITC (Kubis's wine delivery service) to create the chilled red of your dreams. Juicy, slightly fizzy and completely downable, it's a versatile drop that will settle any ordering quandaries. Don't fret if wine isn't your thing. The Moon has cocktails, aperitifs and tinnies to cover all bases.
Enjoy your drinks in the effortlessly cool space – with lots of natural materials, including polished stone and wood, to create a modern but inviting effect. It's separated into two sections, with the front half offering built-in wooden benches and small circular tables that soak up the natural light that pours in from the street front glass walls. The second part of the venue houses the wines, which are lined up floor to ceiling on the built-in shelves. Booths are available, or you can sit at the communal table to have a vino-focused chin wag with the staff or other patrons.
Kubis and manager Sarah Reilly (formerly of Sydney's Monopole) are particular about their wine. They believe reputation is peripheral, but the quality is essential. So they'd rather showcase small producers whose product celebrates its surroundings and encapsulates the earth it comes from. Pair this ethos with Snadden-Wilson’s steadfast technique and you've got a burgeoning empire of McConnell proportions.