Astro Bunny was rated one of five Best of Tasting by Wine & Viticulture Journal in their first ever tasting of Pét-Nats. “Lots of fun; lots of things that make no sense on their own but all put together make it a winner,” said one taster. Article on the story of making the Bunny and the tasting results below Read more →
The Coronavirus pandemic hit mid-vintage and I had to get out of Australia quick-sharp before the borders shut. Luckily the fruit had been picked, was safely in the winery and Michael and his intrepid team at Lodestone Winery in the Adelaide Hills continued to work through the lockdown to produce the best brace of pét-nats we’ve ever made. Astro Bunny,… Read more →
The Bunny Goes Global for the first time in 2019 with the 2018 vintage wines bouncing all over the globe to seven (seven!) new export markets: Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Denmark, Canada, US and UK. First stops on the world tour to support my new partners were Singapore and Hong Kong, both 100% Spinal Tap 🙂 The 2019 vintage saw… Read more →
The 2018 vintage saw the Astro Bunny move from diapers to long pants (we skipped shorts). A new winery facility in the Adelaide Hills, significant increase in volume to be able to export for the first time, and if that wasn’t enough, a spanking brand new webby-site home for the bunny. For updates on the 2018 and future wines please… Read more →
In a rash act of complete commercial recklessness I decided to hold the 2017 Pét-Nats back for a mid-summer (in Australia) release this year, as I’ve always thought they don’t really hit their straps until twelve months after harvest. As a consequence the wines were released in February 2018, and demand has been nothing short of phenomenal, with the consequence… Read more →
***STOP PRESS**** As of April 4th 2017 the 2016 Astro Bunny is officially SOLD OUT. As of June 19th 2017 the 2016 Dark Side is officially SOLD OUT. That’s all folks! Until the 2017’s are ready…. Blackhearts & Sparrows stores in Melbourne may have availability of the Astro Bunny, and you can also try Different Drop or DRNKS online.… Read more →
Fusée à Bulles has been described as looking and tasting like a Bellini, “quite good” and “not shit”. A blend of Nero d’Avola, Vermentino and Zibbibo, it’s a potable beverage, made from Australian grapes and mostly harmless. The Dark Side is almost certainly illegal, low in sulphur, high in midichlorians… Read more →
So I’d shot my big mouth off, it was too late now, I had to make a wine. The initial plan was to see if I could make a wine that could be picked, pressed, fermented, bottled and sold before I got back on a plane to the UK on May 1st. The second consideration was something more theoretical, perhaps… Read more →
Pet Nat is – theoretically at least – one of the simplest styles of wines to make. Pick – press – ferment – bottle – voilá. One of the features of Pet Nat is that it requires no additions of sulphur dioxide due to the fact that as the wine is constantly fermenting up to and including the point at… Read more →
I’ve learnt many things making this wine, but the three most striking are: 1. Making your own wine – from grape to bottle – is a fundamentally different process than working a vintage at a winery. When working vintage you get given a number of tasks to perform, repetitively, and you never really get to see the bigger picture, or take… Read more →