An interview with Ericka Argiris, Murrumbeena Wine Bar

Described as a neighbourhood wine with personality and heart, Murrumbeena Wine Bar offers its locals a cosy space to sip and enjoy local wine, beer, cocktails, banter and live music. The wine bar is all about local, Australian, family-run boutique wines, independent breweries and distilleries, so expect to find a drink you have never seen before. Milk Bar had a chat with Ericka Argiris to find out why Murrumbeena Wine Bar is so great.

Murrumbeena Wine Bar has been open since 2019 and is a location where patrons can enjoy wine, beer and tapa-style dishes sourced from local, family-run businesses. Can you tell our readers what kind of vibe and experience they can come to expect throughout the week? 

I wanted to create a space that is welcoming, friendly and fun and [I] am pleased to say this is the feedback we receive from our customers. I love showcasing small, family-run, independent wineries, breweries, distilleries. There is a story behind every label. Supporting live music is just as important to me, so you will find new, local musicians playing at the bar most Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. One of our regular musicians describes the bar perfectly: you walk in as strangers and leave as friends. Often I find that customers seated next to each other start conversations and end up chatting all night.

We have amazing Happy Hour specials and work with other small businesses to create a unique and interesting food menu, such as, Pie Thief pies from Footscray, Traditional Empanadas from La Onda Latin Mex restaurant in Dromana and Wood fire oven pizzas from across the road, 458 Pizzeria. 

The bar has a very inclusive, warm, friendly vibe, where we know most customers by name as there are so many locals that keep coming back.

Known as a female-owned suburban wine bar, how are you paving the way for young female musicians? And what type of music do you best enjoy? 

I love highlighting female winemakers, female musicians, female business owners etc. All of the local musicians that play at the bar [have] their own unique sound, whether it be jazz, rock, folk, blues … I love it all!

Many businesses were affected during COVID. How did you adapt – and pivot – during the pandemic? What are some of the challenges that you faced and overcame?

I am lucky enough to still be able to open my doors this year. It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride and still can’t believe the timing … I dreamt about opening this business for 20 years, then finally was brave enough to do it and only got five months into it before having to close down due to the pandemic. I had no choice but to “pivot” – a word that I eventually got sick of hearing – I was lucky enough to make a connection with the local community in the first few months of opening that they all supported the business with the take-away offerings during lockdown. The locals and my small team, my family and friends, are the reason I have been able to get through these last couple of years. 

Another thing I’m passionate about is cocktails! We love creating our own, unique cocktails at the bar. We have a Staff Cocktail competition each year where each team member comes up with their own cocktail of the month and we count how many sales each cocktail gets to crown the winner each year! During lockdown we bottled our cocktails for take-away and these were a huge hit with our locals. I also hosted virtual wine and gin tasting events with small, family-run wineries and distilleries, and kept the live music going through [the] Facebook Live feature. Our take-away cheese and wine packs and ‘Date Night packs’ were a big hit, too.

The financial challenges were tough, but we were lucky enough to receive some government funding during the pandemic, which helped pay the rent. Another huge challenge was keeping my staff employed. I didn’t want any of them to struggle, so I added delivery service to our take-away offerings to try and keep them busy. I’m glad lockdowns are over, but this year has been the most challenging financially as I’m sure other small business owners would understand. Most of us are paying full rent plus the deferred rent from the last two years and the government funding has stopped, but we were still heavily affected by pandemic-related problems this year with isolation periods and a lot of people not ready to come out again. It’s going to take a long time to reverse people’s mindset and go back to the way we used to live. 

Now to the wine. The wine list is quite impressive, featuring a strong range of Australian and international varieties. What are some wines that you are obsessed with? 

All of our wine is Australian, apart from a couple of French bottles. (Every wine bar should have Champagne on the menu!) I love showcasing small, family-run, boutique wineries. I love the story behind the labels. One of my favourites is Four Winds Vineyard, owned and operated by Sarah Collingwood and her family. They make the most beautiful Sparkling Riesling, and it’s one of our best sellers. Another family-run vineyard is Golding Wines from Adelaide Hills, all of their wine is incredible, their Gamay is one of my favourites. Both of these families were kind enough to help me run virtual wine tasting events during lockdown, which our locals absolutely loved!

What is one thing you want a customer thinking when they leave Murrumbeena Wine Bar? 

I can’t wait to come back! 

Murrumbeena Wine Bar
77–79 Murrumbeena Road, Murrumbeena, 3163
Open Wednesday to Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday, open from 5pm; Friday and Saturday, open from 4pm; Sunday, open from 2pm
murrumbeenawinebar.com.au