This new CBD Italian wine bar does spicy martinis and snack-sized sandwiches

Flinders Lane’s new tucked-away wine bar The Florence combines the traditions of the Tuscan region home to its namesake with a look that riffs on ’70s Italian style.

This is the 10th venue for the Valarc Group, also behind Middle Park European, Tartine and Ned’s Bake, plus The Florence’s street-level sibling, The Meatball & Wine Bar. And it’s personal for the group’s founder, Matteo Bruno. “My grandfather had a place in an old town called Pistoia overlooking Florence, and I fell in love with it,” he says.

Up a discreet staircase, the new 80-seat bar has retained the building’s bones, with brick archways and timber trusses that Bruno says are a “throwback to old-world Italy”.

But the rest of the former office space has been slicked up by local design firm Bergman & Co (Poodle Bar & Bistro, Chancery Lane, Studio Amaro). Reflective surfaces are everywhere, from stainless-steel furnishings to a wine cabinet in high-gloss burgundy to angled ceiling mirrors above a wall of windows overlooking the laneway.

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Although he’s run The Meatball & Wine Bar for nearly 15 years, Bruno had never been upstairs. Still, he signed the lease – sight unseen – while he was out of town, so as not to miss out on the opportunity.

“Having a wine-forward bar on Flinders Lane has always been on my mind,” he says.

Spanning 250-odd bottles, the Florence’s list gives top billing to Tuscany, from ruby-red chianti classico to whites that Bruno wants more Australians to be drinking, such as vermentino. Piedmont and Italy’s other top wine regions are represented, as well as wines made locally with Italian varietals, including fiano and sangiovese from Bruno’s own label Sandhill Wines.

“We wanted some big[-ticket] bottles, but we still wanted to keep the list approachable and not alienate anyone,” Bruno says.

With Florence being the birthplace of the negroni, there are five versions to choose from, such as one with house-made cherry vermouth. Otherwise, try a foamy highball that blends artichoke amaro Cynar with orange, or a peperoncini martini that sploshes pickled-chilli brine into the mix. A daily happy hour – from 5pm to 6pm – promises $10 mini negronis and $14 spritzes.

Overseen by Middle Park European head chef Aaron Wrafter and led by Dev Weera, the kitchen serves suitably Italianate snacks that you can stack into a meal.

Oysters come with negroni granita; olives are stuffed with parmigiano reggiano, then crumbed and fried; and, for croquettes, beef is braised in sangiovese. “For every kilo of meat, we use a whole bottle of wine,” Bruno says.

The shareable Florentine plate is a snapshot of the day’s best bites.

More substantial items include ricotta gnocchi with gorgonzola, pecorino and sage; and vitello tonnato – in sandwich form. Rare, sliced-to-order wagyu is layered with tangy tuna-spiked sauce and a combination of caperberries (the large ones pickled and the smaller fried).

Once The Florence is up and running, the group’s next project is Alameda, a Spanish-inspired wine bar in Albert Park.

The Florence opens on Thursday, April 30.

Open dinner and drinks daily

Level 1/133 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, theflorence.com.au