Does Melbourne need yet another wine bar? We’ve got plenty already and a new one seems to open every week. But in the case of Lilac Wine, just launched in Cremorne, the answer’s an emphatic yes. For several reasons.

Firstly, the wine. There are many interesting grapes and makers on the list, an obvious labour of love for sommelier Richard Buck. There’s a strong natural/low-fi bent but ask Buck what motivates his selection and he says simply: “There has to be joy in the glass, you know?”

The perfect answer. There’s plenty of joy in the Austrian field-blend white we down with dinner. With two dozen wines by the glass, and about 150 labels in total, there’s something for every palate and pocket.

Elsewhere on the drinks list are unconventional cocktails such as the Lilac Martini, infused with “smoked bone and peat rinse”. Or the lusher-sounding Lamington of cherry brandy, spiced coconut liqueur and cacao. Plus, a suitably adult selection of aperitives and digestives, beers (draft, tinned or bottled), sakes and spirits.

The space, set behind a graffiti-scrawled façade, also looks great. The former upholsterer’s warehouse has been given a glow-up with steel-framed Crittall doors, polished concrete floors and warm red-brick walls painted forest green to halfway up.

It’s the same green as the leather stools parked at the back-lit bar of gleaming glassware and bottles. There’s potted greenery, candlelit tables, fireplace, an open kitchen at rear and turntables up front spinning feel-good tunes – Bowie’s Let’s Dance as we enter and Spandau Ballet during dinner. Gold.

The third reason to come to Lilac Wine of course is the food. Chef Kyle Nicol’s menu is big on wood-fired flavours, pickles and ferments and, in a bold move, offal.

His secret is to make it look and taste so tempting that even sceptics will be won over.

Exhibit one is a dainty éclair piped with chicken liver mousse and glazed with black garlic, miso and honey. Tiny but delectable. I could eat three.

And there’s “savoury mince on toast”, a bland name for a wicked spread made from beef-and chicken-heart offcuts, lightly spiced with a koji garam, capped with fresh horseradish and served on a golden brioche square. There’s a satisfying depth to both flavours and texture that recaptures that age-old comfort of mince on toast. I completely forgot I was eating animal hearts.

Nicol’s charcuterie is also worth considering. He makes it himself, from pink and porky terrine to whisper-thin bresaola and chilli and fennel lonza. Have it with the slightly scorched sourdough and chef’s uplifting whiskey mustard for maximum enjoyment.

Not every dish is a slam dunk. There’s a soft-boiled egg that’s been marinated in red wine and shallots and set on a nest of celeriac remoulade and eucalyptus oil. It’s visually interesting but the combination of flavours confuses me.

There’s a lovely sliced lamb rump with carrot “butter” and nicely bitter rainbow chard. The rich meat bursts with flavour and just the right amount of fire-licked fat. But the duck-fat potatoes we have with them are un-crunchy and come with kefir cream. Are we having potatoes cooked in bird fat or served with sour cream? Again, my mouth’s a bit confused.

The odd hiccup aside, there’s real soul and ingenuity to this food. Rather than cranking out the standard wine-bar fare, Lilac’s menu rewards the adventurous. So does the wine list.

Related review Melbourne’s Myrtle Wine Bar puts native ingredients front and centre