The operators of Babyface Kitchen are well aware their wine list is controversial.
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“We had one guy sit there and openly say, ‘Your wine list is s—t’,” chef Andy Burns laughed when asked how his customer base has reacted to a recent change.
A couple of months ago, the Japanese-inspired Keira Street eatery has started serving only “natural” wines, eschewing the usual list of well-known grapes and styles for bottles that are well out-of-the-ordinary.
“Our whole list is natural, minimal intervention Australian wine – it’s what we love drinking and it just goes so well with the food we do,” Mr Burns said.
If people think it’s weird, that’s part of it, and we want them to come in and be ready for a bit of a different experience.
“[The criticism] is fair enough, I guess, because people aren’t used to it – and that’s kind of what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to create an experience, something that’s a bit different and not what you’d usually eat or drink.”
“And if people think it’s weird, that’s part of it, and we want them to come in and be ready for a bit of a different experience.”
Natural wines are sometimes labelled as “minimal intervention” because they are made without many of the processes and chemicals normally used in winemaking.
A bit like the craft beer movement, natural winemaking is an ancient method, but has recently been seized upon by many of Sydney and Melbourne’s hatted restaurants and has become one of 2017’s major foodie trends.
Grapes are often handpicked, foot-stomped, coloured by soaking juice with grape skins, fermented in the bottle or in clay vessels, and sometimes left unfiltered. This means the whites can take on vibrant yellow and orange colours, and reds can be much more vibrant berry colours, or cloudier than conventional wine.
Much of the produce used is organically or bio-dynamically grown, but “natural” wine and the more widely available “organic” wine are two different things.
“A farm can be certified organic, but this is about what’s done after that, and the bottling process – there’s more than 100 things you’re allowed to put into wine in Australia,” Mr Burns said.
“These winemakers are trying to get grapes into the bottle with minimal intervention – and really what’s wine? It’s grapes, grape juice, so this is just showing the produce in its purest form.”
Because preservatives and additives are kept to a minimum, natural wines tend to be made in smaller batches and served younger than other wines.
At Babyface, manager David Pearce – who orders all the wines – has been the driving force behind the new wine list, which he orders in small, limited batches bring out the best in Mr Burns’ food.
“Andy’s food is all about the product, the produce – so I wanted to sort of balance that out in a fun, quirky way with the wine,” he said. “Andy shows a lot of respect to his produce, and these winemakers do the same thing. There’s no chemicals, there’s no junk, there’s no factories – it’s just pure expression.”
With experience working at the three-hatted Attica (rated as one of the world’s top 50 restaurants), Mr Pearce is not afraid to do something different to make Babyface stand out in Wollongong’s expanding restaurant scene.
“We know we’re doing something controversial, and there’s some old school [people] in Wollongong who love their big reds, and I respect that – but we also respect the connection between the land and the wine and the food,” he said.
“The theory that we have is that each of these wines are fun wines, they’re not pompous – if someone has a problem with that, then I guess they can go somewhere else.”
“This is actually a very old world, ancient method of making wine, and these producers have brought a new style and passion into producing natural wine.”
“There’s no rules, white grapes get blended with red grapes, and there’s a lot more texture and flavour in this wine.
“The wines are lots of warm colours and different shades, rich juicy colours of the fruit, and sometimes there’s sediment left in the bottom of the bottle from the skins being in contact with the wine.”
To help introduce more people to these concepts and allow them to experience different wines, Babyface will hold a series of “wine takeover” dinners.
“We want to showcase some of the producers that we use and have a close relationship with,” Mr Burns said.
“They’re a bit crazy and passionate, and they love what they do – and hopefully that will help people to get a bit of an understanding in Wollongong.”
The first dinner with one of South Australia’s leading new restaurants, the Summertown Aristologist. Located in Adelaide Hills wine country, the cellar door and eatery takes a similar approach to food as Babyface, and grows its own produce which will be sent over to Wollongong for the October event. In November, Babyface will work with Barossa winemaker Tom Shobbruck, one of the frontrunners in bringing natural wine into the spotlight over the past few years.
Natural choices, by David Pearce
2017 La Violetta ‘SPUNK’ Shiraz and Riesling – “A brilliant wine in the Pet Nat style (naturally sparkling wine that ferments in the bottle). Made from Shiraz and Riesling grapes from Denmark, it’s very gently sweet with vibrant ripe fruit and a crunchy texture.”
2015 Ruggabellus ‘SALLIO’ Eden Valley Riesling + Semillon + Muscat – “Sallio is a huge, textured orange wine – it had three days on skins, was basket pressed and left for almost two years to mature in the vats.”
2017 MANON ‘COSMIC’ Adelaide Hills (Chilled Red) – “Made by dedicated wine organic/natural wine producers from the Adelaide Hills, cosmic is a blend of end of barrel which includes Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Savagnin. Merlot, Nebbiolo, Nero d Avola and Muscat. Its main purpose is that nothing is wasted from the farm at the end of vintage (farmhouse wine).”
Summertown Aristologist takeover dinner – Oct 26. For details: www.babyfacekitchen.com.au