Graze Wine Bar is a funky little neighbourhood wine bar in the Kelburn village, Wellington, with a thoughtful and ethical focus. In a cosy 25-seat room, the team pours delicious New Zealand wine alongside ethically focused bites in a relaxed local setting — the kind of place made for spending an evening, an afternoon, a week, a month, or even your year.
Sustainability shapes everything here. Most of the fit-out was sourced second hand — fridges, oven, light shades, furniture, tiles, artwork and even the front door — with tabletops and shelving made from reclaimed wood and upholstery sewn from recycled jeans. Waste is minimised wherever possible: refillable containers, reusable cloth napkins and hand towels, creative kitchen and bar practice to cut food waste, composting for the rest, and no takeaway containers. The bar's 120-litre general waste wheelie bin was collected just twice in 2025.
The blackboard menu of small sharing dishes celebrates NZ-grown produce and sustainable seafood — fish, paua and crayfish from local spear, dive and single-line fishers, plus responsibly farmed oysters and mussels. Wines and spirits are 100% NZ made, glass pours change daily with the seasons, and cocktails put a seasonal spin on timely classics. Take a seat at the Chef's Bar to watch the cooks at work, or settle into the window bench in the Restaurant section.
High on the hill in the Kelburn village, Graze Wine Bar is proof that a neighbourhood bar can have a big conscience. Self-described as a funky lil neighbourhood wine bar with a thoughtful and ethical focus, it is a cosy 25-seat space pouring delicious New Zealand wine and serving ethically focused bites in a relaxed, local setting. The aim, the team says, is simple: an experience that makes you feel good about spending your evening — or your afternoon, week, month, or even your year — there.
Almost everything at Graze has had a previous life. The fridges, oven, light shades, furniture, tiles, artwork and even the front door were sourced second hand, while the plates and cocktail glasses were hunted down in second-hand stores and garage sales. Every table top, bar top and shelf is made from reclaimed wood, and the upholstery was sewn from recycled jeans. The result is a warm, character-filled room that feels more like a well-loved living room than a fit-out catalogue.
That same ethos runs through daily operations. Graze is passionate about reducing waste in the hospitality industry: refillable containers wherever possible, packaging negotiated down with suppliers, reusable cloth napkins and hand towels for guests, and a kitchen and bar that get creative to reduce food waste, composting the rest. The proof is in the bins — the bar's 120-litre general waste wheelie bin was collected just twice in 2025, a small fraction of the average Kiwi's yearly waste. There are no takeaway containers; this is a place to sit, linger and dine in.
The menu changes often, written up on a blackboard full of small sharing dishes meant to be scattered across the table. Everything is sourced from within New Zealand, and the team works with suppliers who use reusable or recyclable packaging. Seafood follows the Slow Fish movement: the fish, paua and crayfish come directly from local fishermen who spear catch, hand dive or single line catch, while oysters and mussels are responsibly farmed by people looking after the oceans for future generations. Wild herbs and flowers foraged around Kelburn give the menu a unique sense of place.
Not sure what to order? Hand over the reins. Snack Attack gets you a sample of a few dishes chosen by the chefs; the Full Shabang is everything on offer. Both are a relaxed way to taste the breadth of the kitchen without a single decision to make.
The sourcing map stretches the length of the country: Te Matuku Bay oysters from Waiheke Island, Mount Eliza cheese from Katikati, macadamias from Gisborne, truffles from Yaldhurst, pine nuts from Marlborough, hazelnuts and walnuts from Canterbury, and honey, creamery goods and coffee from Wellington makers — with produce via Commonsense Organics and Moore Wilsons. It is a deliberate celebration of local food producers, and of growing the food community right on the bar's doorstep.
Unsurprisingly for a wine bar, drinking well is the point. The selection highlights the best New Zealand winemakers of the season, so bottles change with the seasons and glass pours change daily — just ask what's open tonight. Spirits are 100% NZ made too, and the cocktails, much like the food, use the best of what each season has on offer, putting Graze's spin on some timely classics.
The 25 seats are split into two sections so you can choose your experience. The Chef's Bar puts you up on cushioned barstools, close enough to chat with the chefs and watch them cook. The Restaurant offers low tables, chairs with backs and a cushioned bench seat along the window — made for slow evenings with friends.
Graze opens Wednesday to Friday from 4pm until 11pm, and from midday on Saturday and Sunday, also closing at 11pm — handy for weekend long lunches. It's closed Monday and Tuesday. Bookings can be made through the website, gift vouchers are available for the wine lover in your life, and the mailing list keeps you across menu changes. Find it at 95 Upland Road in the Kelburn village, or call 022-302-8242.
Whether you come for a daily-changing glass, a plate of spear-caught fish, or simply to sit in a room where even the chairs have a story, Graze delivers that rare thing: a local bar that treads lightly and tastes good doing it.