Wine? It’s natural even for you

Voice of the People at The Melbourne Wine Room. Try it.

Wine, most of us drink it. Some of us love it. But many of us are intimidated by it, or the wankery that comes with labels, hundreds of grape varieties and the language of the wine critic.

All we know is that we like that particular red or white while slumped on the sofa watching TV and we wouldn’t mind drinking something similar down the pub. Or wine bar.

Wineries themselves would like to be able to talk to the normal punter but often fail. And I bet while many of you read food magazines and restaurant reviews, few of you read the wine columns in the mainstream media.

So anything that creates interest in wine and helps people taste something different is welcome and this large glass demijohn type container of wine that you may have seen about town is certainly something different.

I’ve seen Voice of the People (for that is what it’s called) it in Cumulus Inc (now removed), the Melbourne Wine Room, Next Door Diner and the Gertrude Street Enoteca and it looks interesting and weird. Inside is a natural wine. That’s a wine made with no added yeast, no additives, no preservatives and simply a layer of olive oil preventing it from oxidisation.

It’s a simple red table wine and costs about $7 a glass, which is a welcome change in a climate where wine prices are migrating towards $15 or more a glass. It’s sweet and best matched with food, especially anything with that magic mix of tomatoes, olives, capers and anchovy.

I’ve had mixed reviews from people I’ve spoken to who’ve tried it but I like it and think with food it is worth a detour from your regular drop. There are variations in thewine depending on how long it’s been sitting on the bar so if first you don’t like it, don’t give up.

In Sydney, a city that surprises with the number of women who love reds, Voice of the People appears to have a better critical reception than in Melbourne with a positive review from Huon Hook which will tell you more of this wines makers and story.

What we’ve got is a wine made by serious wine geeks that have created something new and interesting that is accessible to everybody. The proof is in the drinking.