It’s not a traditional-style wine bar and not a restaurant per se but a super groovy urban cellar door.

This exciting and progressive young team have brought to our fair city the next step in the food and wine explosion.  

Suzi: I’m looking at your little kitchenette and thinking thank goodness there is no chef, as most of us are a little porky and I’m sure we wouldn’t fit.

John: We decided not to go with a chef. Food is available all day. Everyone who works here steps in and out of the kitchen, preparing and serving food. We have designed the menu using good quality local and some speciality imported ingredients. These tasty morsels don’t require heaps of preparation. We plan to keep things tasty, simple and mix it up, always offering our regulars something new.

S: This is a smart approach – you will never have to suffer a chef who has tested too much wine after work and who just didn’t make it into work the next day.

J: We are definitely not wanting to follow trends. We want to create our own distinctive classic, modern style. We want to contribute to the diversity of what is happening in Ballarat. But, ultimately, this is a place we would love to go to ourselves.

S: Not since Curry Star opened have I received so many texts from so many excited foodies. Most are reporting to me their shock and amazement. What’s this tuna in a can thingy I’m hearing about?

J: That’s our Spanish/Ballarat sensation – white tuna belly with pickled garlic and local Prickleberry sourdough toasted. The tuna belly is served in the tin, like the old sardine tins. You just have to get in there, dip the toast, spread and enjoy it.

S: Is there a wine match you recommend with this cutting-edge dish?

J: I’d say everything. We don’t want people to get hung up on what goes with what. We believe wine is fun – it puts smiles on people’s faces. 

S: I touched on the fact that Mitchell Harris is by no means “old school” wine makers. In five years, you have been able to achieve more than some wineries will achieve in 10.

J: We do not grow or own grapes like a traditional winery. The grape industry is in oversupply, so we tried to find existing local vineyards with grapes that were not being used. Much of the grape harvests around Australia are bulldozed back into the earth. We didn’t want to add to the oversupply. At present, our grapes are grown at Moonambel’s Peerick Vineyard, which has beautiful, established older vines. The Macedon region also supplies a selection of the grapes for the seven varieties of wine we currently produce.

S: As well as you’re acclaimed Sabre sparkling wine, which is listed in the top 20 sparkling wines in the latest James Halliday Australian Wine Companion, the urban cellar door allows customers to sample a wide range of Victorian wine.

J: We hope to be a stepping stone for further tasting of the western Victorian wine region encompassing Geelong, the Pyrenees, the Grampians, Macedon Ranges and Heathcote.

S: It feels like ages since the whispers of your plans hit the local hospitality scene. 

J: It has taken 15 months to design and restore our grand design. Last year, we won a T-QUAL (Tourism Quality Council of Australia) grant. T-QUAL provides matched funding to large and small scale tourism projects. The project aims to increase supply of quality  Australian products and experiences. The grant allowed us to put the dream into action. We must now continue to align with Tourism Australia’s 20/20 priorities. At the end of the day, we relish this opportunity to share our love of wine and wine-making with the local and regional communities. 

Mitchell Harris Wines.

38 Doveton Street North, Ballarat