Unwittingly spent a whole afternoon and a small part of the evening at this fine establishment. It really is one of those places, where the you can settle in and forget about the rest of the world, whilst you enjoy the company of your chosen friends, the cosy surrounds of CWS and excellent service of the waitstaff as they assist you in selecting foodstuffs and beverages which will delight you. I should also mention, that it is excellent value for money.

A great selection of champagne! I ordered the schnitzel - It was good.. Fast service! The staff are knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. If you are coming in group - lovely atmosphere .. come to city wine shop! :)

Great food. Great atmosphere. Great service add great value.
The menu is not long. Very compact as a matter of fact. A short list of 'bar snacks/wine food' and the daily blackboard menu featuring 2-3 options in each of the various courses (soup, entree, pasta, main, dessert). I had a duck salad, and was very impressed by the plate sizing. At $18, I had a duck salad with notable portions of duck, and it was served on a mains plate size.
A cross between a bistro & wine bar, the venue is in all appearances a wine bar/shop, with bottles upon bottles lining the walls and wine racks. It is a very cosy space. Most of the seating/tables are outside under the front terrace. It is a very popular venue, busy every day of the week and at all hours. You will find patrons having breakfast here on a weekday and dessert at night possibly before retiring upstairs to Siglo or the Supper Club.

Approximate cost: $20-25

Definitely a place for real wine lovers. Staff offered no real assistance. Prices seemed a bit extravagant for my liking. Cute seating arrangement in the back room with a lovely wine cellar display - although the mountains of storage boxes only made it feel cramped rather than funky.

I love dropping in to City Wine Shop to relax with a glass of wine overlooking the Victorian Houses of Parliament. City Wine Shop is a strange beast, both a bar and a wine retailer - you can buy bottles from the beautiful wall of wine that overlooks the inside of the bar and either take them home with you or drink them then and there.

There is an ever-changing selection of wines to drink by the glass (usually about 20 different wines on offer at any one time), so there's always something interesting and suited to any time of the day! The quality is very high and the knowledgeable staff are generally happy to answer questions about the wines.

I was lucky enough to visit recently with a friend from overseas when they were having a free tasting session of wines from Pondalowie Winery (near Bendigo), which was great fun. They also stock many rare and iconic wines that can be very hard to find elsewhere, but generally prices are on the high side. For a really knock-out bottle ask to see the cellar list. It caters very much towards the premium end of the market!

There is also food available, including wine snacks, cheese platters and more substantial dishes. They sound excellent, but I haven't tried them, and they're fairly pricey.

For wine enthusiasts, a (regular!) visit here is a must, and I enjoy nothing more than sitting up at the big wooden bar with a nice glass of red and contemplating the amazing wall of wine!

Approximate cost: $10 for a glass of wine