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

About this episode

Lyndon Kubis discusses the key elements that contribute to the success of wine bars in Melbourne, focusing on culture and customer experience rather than just products.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Anna Webster

Guest: Lyndon Kubis

Topics covered

• wine bars
• hospitality
• Melbourne
• natural wine
• post-COVID
• customer experience

Keywords

• vibe
• wine culture
• neighbourhood wine bars
• hospitality success

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Toorak Cellars, Milton Wine Shop, The Alps, Clover

Places: Melbourne, Paris, Milton, Alps, Collingwood

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