Bar Liberty, Melbourne
There are so many good Australian wine lists around these days it takes extra effort to stand out. The “selection of fermented beverages” at Liberty exudes effort without being try-hard. All the boxes are ticked (skin-fermented whites, pét-nats, sour beers), but the choices are rarely predictable, from a Beechworth sherry/dry-white hybrid blended specially for the bar to rum from Kununurra. And at a time when too many somms are taking themselves way too seriously, it’s great to see some passion and humour. Example from the Beaujolais page: “Toot, toot, all aboard the gamay express! These wines f–ing rock!”
IN SHORT Brimming with personality.