While the hospitality industry has been hit with a wave of closures, new venues are still opening every day. This year we’ve seen the arrival of new wine bars, including three that will keep you grounded here in Melbourne, take you to the Mediterranean, or even transport you out of this world.

Here are three new wine bars to try: Lenny’s, an unmistakably Melbourne spot (from a former AFL player); Olympia, Nick Flaounas’s Greek-inspired Oakleigh wine bar; and Earth Angels, a genre-defying spot in a heritage building.

Lenny’s, Richmond

This casual wine bar – with its green tile splashback, custom-made wooden benches and tables, and murals by local artist Luke Tarlinton, who goes by Cool Hand Luke – is the kind of neighbourhood place Melbourne is known for.

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Like many bars, the idea for Lenny’s formed over drinks among friends. Former AFL player Angus Brayshaw mentioned he wanted to open a wine bar. Mate Kirra Pemberton harboured her own wine-bar dreams and already had a decade of experience in hospitality with her wellness-focused cafe and juice chain Soul Press.

There’s a 25-person courtyard at the back of the venue and a few seats dotted around the bar at the front. It’s relaxed, not over the top, and a great place to kick back.

Olympia, Oakleigh

This wine bar by Nick Flaounas (Harvie, Gloria’s) came from his desire to “create a Greek-inspired wine bar in a Greek precinct”, he told Broadsheet back in April.

The venue is split across two spaces – an indoor wine bar on the first floor, and a rooftop bar in a space that was formerly part of the market car park – with decor inspired by the Greek Islands.

The wine list focuses on drops from Australia and Greece, and the share plate menu nods to Flaounas’s Greek heritage. The hero dish is taramasalata served with Yarra Valley caviar and koulouri, which he describes as “round bready biscuits with sesame seeds”.

Earth Angels, West Melbourne

If you find yourself in West Melbourne, follow the warm glow of the heritage building on the corner of Victoria Street and Williams Street to find Earth Angels. The genre-defying wine bar is co-owned by DJ and producer Emmanuel John, better known by his stage name Skin On Skin.

At its core, it’s a wine bar and a restaurant, but it brings a lot more than food and drink to the table. Earth Angels has hosted pop-ups with food darlings like Rahel Stephanie of @eatwithsp00ns; is home to a Wednesday night chess club; and holds jazz nights led by an in-house collective called Angel Sound Ensemble on Thursdays.

The kitchen is led by ex-La Pinta chef Sasha Chifura, who changes the menu frequently but consistently sends out Earth Angels’ signature chicken wings, deboned and served with red curry sauce and onion atop a star-shaped bite of white bread.