Prince WineStore

Founded in 1997 by sommelier Philip Rich, Prince Wine Store built its name on range most retailers can't match — the South Melbourne flagship carries several thousand lines, weighted toward Australian producers with French, Italian and Californian bottles filling the gaps. Current owners Michael McNamara and Alex Wilcock, who bought in from 2003, have kept the focus on classical, hard-to-find wine rather than volume brands, running wine classes and winemaker lunches for regulars. The Zetland store brings the same approach to Sydney, in a converted warehouse pocket of low-rise apartments near Alexandria. Staff knowledge is the real product here — the kind of shop where asking about a Barolo producer gets a considered answer rather than a shrug. Open six days a week. A worthwhile stop for anyone building a serious cellar rather than a case for the weekend.