How Melbourne’s best wine bars are built | Lyndon Kubis (Toorak Cellars, Milton Wine Shop, The Alps, Clover)

What actually makes a wine bar successful?

In this episode of the Halliday Wine Companion Podcast, we sit down with Lyndon Kubis, the force behind some of Melbourne’s most loved venues including Toorak Cellars, Milton Wine Shop, The Alps and Clover.

From starting at 18 years old with zero plan… to building a portfolio of iconic neighbourhood wine bars, Lyndon breaks down what really drives success in hospitality.

This isn’t about wine lists or interior design.
It’s about people, culture, and creating spaces that make people feel something.

We cover:

• How Lyndon accidentally built a wine bar empire
• Why “vibe” matters more than product
• The shift in how Australians drink wine today
• Natural wine as fine wine
• The realities of running venues post-COVID
• How to scale without losing soul

If you’re in hospitality, wine, or building anything customer-facing, this episode is a masterclass.

The Halliday Wine Companion Podcast is hosted by Halliday editor Anna Webster.

Lyndon Kubis on Instagram

Halliday Wine Companion

Halliday Wine Companion on Instagram

Anna Webster on Instagram

Buy the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion

 01:00 How Lyndon got into wine
02:10 Buying his first wine shop at 22
04:00 Turning a bottle shop into a wine bar
06:00 Inspiration from Paris wine culture
08:30 What actually makes a venue successful
10:15 Why people come back (hint: it’s not the wine)
12:30 Location myths and reality in hospitality
14:00 The importance of “vibe”
16:00 Building team culture in wine bars
17:30 Expanding to Milton, The Alps & beyond
20:00 Opening in “dry suburbs” and licensing challenges
22:30 Why food became essential
24:30 Opening The Moon in Collingwood
26:00 Scaling back and focusing geographically
27:30 Launching Clover and modern bistro culture
29:00 How Australians are drinking wine differently
31:00 Natural wine vs fine wine
33:30 Building an online wine business during COVID
35:00 Importing wines and global relationships
38:00 Managing multiple venues
39:00 Biggest lessons in hospitality
40:00 Challenges in today’s market
41:30 What’s next

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