I’m a huge admirer of Alice Bouvot and this cult classic pet-nat is recognisable as being part of her negoce range (grapes harvested from other French regions by Alice herself and then vinified in her own cellar) due to the kitschy (but so great) gnome, this one dressed like Betty Boop against a bright yellow background. Alice produces wine in Arbois (Jura) and entirely rejects the AOC governing body’s opinion on her cuvees, instead trusting her own instincts and sticking to her biodynamic zero/zero approach. As such, she practices low intervention and neither filters nor fines the wines. Anyway, nitty gritty aside, I think her philosophy about oenology is fascinating (for those interested she’s featured in a book We Don’t Want Any Crap in our Wine, thanks for lending it to me Caitlin!). This was incredibly fun! It was predominately Molette and Chardonnay (from Domaine Trichon in Bugey) as well as a tiny amount of Alsace Sylvaner and Muscat from the Pyrenees. Lots of purity and big notes of citrus. I would recommend giving it a go if you can find one!

This has become my favourite white from the Mosse family, probably beaten out of being my favourite generally due to my love for their pet-nat ‘Moussamoussettes’. Founded in 1999 by Agnes and Rene, the label is now being run by their sons Sylvestre and Joseph in Anjou (Loire). I like their commitment to organic and biodynamic principles, something I often look for in wine, and all of the grapes have been sourced from their own vines for this particular wine. The varietal breakdown was 80% Chenin Blanc and 20% Chardonnay, highlighting the best elements from both grapes. The Chenin provided those classic honey notes and bright yellow fruit whilst the chardonnay meant that it was crisp with great acidity. This had a rather long finish and was a great wine to pair with a big meal. I’m keen to try more of their wines, particularly their reds.

They are such huge names in Australian natural wine and I really enjoy the wines produced by Dane and Hannah out of Gippsland (Victoria). Once again, I’m drawn to their sustainability principles and their desire to “make wines that first and foremost have respect for the living” (Momento Mori website). Accordingly, all of their wines both under the Momento Mori and Nikau labels are biodynamic and organic, with a low intervention and low-tech approach to vinification. They are particularly famous for their orange wines, I really enjoy ‘Staring at the Sun’, however I also think their reds are really great. This one was 100% Pinot Noir, and the grapes came from the Nikau farm, making it the first cuvee that came from the acquisition of the new property in 2017. However, this Pinot was 100% Momento Mori in style. It was made using whole bunch, long ferment and elevage in stainless steel and amphora. Quite a savoury wine, it had heaps of earth with some hints of brambly type berry whilst still being reasonably bright. It’s meant to be drunk as a chilled red and that’s how I enjoyed it!

Frank Cornelissen is another cult classic wine producer, based in Mt. Etna (Sicily), and another believer in natural non-interventionist winemaking practices. In fact, Frank’s preoccupation with the philosophy of what ‘wine’ actually is has been spoken about at length, in which he advocates for allowing “nature’s full complexity and interactions” to occur without the intervention of man, using copper sparingly to stave off rot and attempting to avoid sulphur altogether. Moreover, he’s another believer in extended skin contact and low yield sustainable farming. The Susucaru ‘Rosso’, one of his most famous wines, is a big field blend most comprising of Nerello Mascalese, Minella Nera, Alicante, Bouschet and Minella Bianco. Interestingly, the name ‘Susucaru’ comes from a Sicilian expression meaning ‘they stole it’ which refers to the theft of the grapes from Frank’s first vintage, this was allegedly shouted by Frank’s crew upon discovering the missing grapes. With the fruit coming from the volcanic soil of Mt. Etna, the wine has great acidity with light notes of bright red fruit. It drunk like a light red/deep rose with a little hint of the extended skin contact and some elements of funk.

I tried this cocktail for the first time shortly after starting at Rochford in 2021, recommended to me as a smashable gin cocktail (thanks Liv and Mim). I won’t pretend to know exact specs for the drink; however, it is comprised of gin, lemon and orgeat (almond syrup). Its subtle and citrussy with a touch of nuttiness. A great cocktail when you want something light and bright!

On my most recent Melbourne trip in June, my partner and I visited Waxflower for the first time. A hybrid wine bar, record/dj space and restaurant, it was a great place to sink one too many martinis and have a great bottle of wine. Although reasonably short, the wine list was interesting and had many great picks. The food was exceptionally good and quite unique, we particularly liked the big veggie mains (plus the housemade bread was unreal). Really friendly and knowledgeable staff, great layout/design choices, I would highly recommend if you’re around Brunswick.