{"id":1885,"date":"2020-11-11T16:33:51","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T16:33:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eatmcr.co.uk\/?p=1885"},"modified":"2020-11-11T16:48:22","modified_gmt":"2020-11-11T16:48:22","slug":"the-come-up-of-natural-wine-in-manchester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eatmcr.co.uk\/drinks\/the-come-up-of-natural-wine-in-manchester\/","title":{"rendered":"The Come Up Of Natural Wine in Manchester"},"content":{"rendered":"

By SnaccDiaries<\/a> and NaturalSwill<\/a><\/p>\n

The juice. It\u2019<\/span>s what brought you here. It\u2019<\/span>s what brought us here too. The rainbow erotica of beverages. The pink, golden, red, luminous glasses of grapes that you may have seen floating around on Instagram, and even in a few bars and restaurants. That stuff, that\u2019s Natural Wine.<\/p>\n

Natural wine is something thats been in the area for a few years now, and in the country for that little bit longer, but, only now, is it receiving the traction and praise that in our opinion, it deserved a lot sooner.<\/p>\n

The three people who contributed to this article, myself Richard Farthing, photographer Jack Surplus, and beverage journalist Eoghan Neburagho are all into our food and drink. And I\u2019<\/span>m not just saying we\u2019<\/span>re takeaway aficionados, or simply eat vegan food and drink kombucha. All I mean is that when we sit down for a bev, for a meal too even, we like to know what it is, where it came from, and who it came from. All driven by curiosity and being nosey bastards. And that\u2019s a combination great for an EatMCR article. This piece is about natural wine, and how it found itself in the beautiful city of Manchester that we call home. We found out where it came from, who brought it, where you can find it, and maybe, just maybe, what the future holds for what we believe to be much more that just a drink.<\/p>\n

I\u2019<\/span>d also like to point out that we\u2019<\/span>re best fucking mates, housemates, work colleagues, and serious drinkers. So you best believe while we were researching, writing, and editing this piece, we were having a bloody good time doing so. And that\u2019<\/span>s what the best journalism is right?<\/p>\n

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Where It All Began<\/strong><\/p>\n

It all started back in 2015 with the arrival of Caroline Dubois<\/a>, a very special lady who comes from Montreal – a city known for its Jazz, festivals, food, and now deemed \u201c<\/span>a minimal-intervention wine haven\u201d. Caroline moved to Manchester after travelling the world for 10 years (save the best for last ey), befriending many natural winemakers along the way and as a result, came back with a plan to revitalise Manchester\u2019s bellow-par natural wine scene. Maybe she was trying to replicate what\u2019<\/span>s so tantalising about the natty scene in her home city of Montreal, maybe she wanted to change the entire landscape of drinking good wine in the North West of England, or maybe, just maybe, she just wanted a GOOD glass of wine.<\/p>\n

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What Caroline did not realise about Manchester five years ago is that there wasn\u2019t a whiff of natural wine in the city. She had her work cut out for her\u2026<\/p>\n

After searching high and low, in just about every nook & cranny of Manchester, Caroline consistently came up short. Nobody was interested in natural wine and there were zero importers in and around the city. So she did what all pioneers do, went straight to the source, tapped into her network of natural winemakers she met along her travels, and ordered some wine. All that was left was to find where to sell it.<\/p>\n

Inevitably, two journeys met in the middle. Caroline heard of Sam Buckley, an established restauranteur receiving a fair amount of media coverage and praise for his new up and coming venture – A Restaurant Where The Light Gets In. WTLGI<\/a> was pushing the boundaries both on and off the plate before the doors had even opened. After a quick meeting, 30 minutes to be exact, it was obvious Sam & Caroline would make a cracking team – Natural Wine and Natural local-based Food, a true match made in heaven. They both had ideals and goals that resonated around the same thing –\u00a0 <\/span>Storytelling by creating a narration through food and wine. They wanted the products to speak. And in turn, they together went on to create what is now regarded as one of the best menus in the city.<\/p>\n

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\u201c<\/span>It was more about the experience itself, so, how these two things gotogether (natural food + natural wine) can bring people on ajourney\u201d Caroline Dubois<\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Caroline with the first two bottles she ever brought to WTLGI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Where It Is Now<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fast forward a few years.<\/p>\n

That general mumble of the words \u2018natural wine\u2019 has turned into a whisper. A few people know of it, and some people stock it\u2026thankfully!<\/p>\n

But that is not to say that it has became popular, just yet. A few indie restaurants across Manchester have began to showcase the holy juice you and I formally know as natural wine. Even a few cafes too.<\/p>\n

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Sitting outside Erst MCR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The dining scene in Manchester is continuing to evolve daily, it\u2019s a proper force to be reckoned with, and the wine scene follows by the hair of its nose. We\u2019ve seen such\u00a0 <\/span>restaurants like Erst<\/a> (our personal favourite) pop up over the last few years, showcasing seasonal dishes at their very best. Minimal-intervention cooking paired with minimal-intervention wine in the North West of England are taking the country by storm. It\u2019s a wonderful sight to see and an even nicer one to taste.<\/p>\n

And this is where our boy, our wine guru, our natural wine shepherd takes over. I could tell you to drink this juice here, or that juice there. But, experience talks. So we sent the man known online as \u2018NaturalSwill\u2019 aka Eoghan Neburagho out to give us his best spots, the selection that tickles him the most and one that might tickle you too \u2026<\/p>\n

Natural Swill – Let me start by filling you in on some of the most insightful advice I\u2019ve ever received with regards to natural wine and how best to enjoy it, courtesy of Caroline Dubois herself.<\/p>\n

(I got this gem of knowledge upon one of many trips to Carolines funky, yet quaint natural wine bar\/shop based in Levenshulme, Manchester.)<\/p>\n

Natural wine is subjective, and the whole point of drinking natural wine is to be apart of an experience you may never have had before. <\/b><\/p>\n

The sweet nectar we love to call natural wine beholds a unique experience with each and every mouthful you take, which will differ based on the person drinking it i.e you could be blown away with feelings and emotions of excitement and curiosity upon your first sip, based on the sheer integrity of that wine and its compelling background story.<\/p>\n

Whereas I could experience something completely different to you – something more refined that brings out specific tastes and flavours I\u2019m somewhat used to trying like a mineral, acidic kinda vibe simply because of my experience with natural wine.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the true beauty of natural wine – the subjective experience each and every mouthful brings to the table, no two glass\u2019 will taste the same for two different people!<\/b><\/p>\n

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Another Heart To Feed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Anyway, before I get carried away with the sentiment of natural wine and all that \u2018snow-flake\u2019 type talk, which I easily could do\u2026 I am going to provide you with 4 of my favourite spots in Manchester broken down into two different recommendations –\u00a0 <\/span>the first will be 2 of my go-to spots for a smashing glass of wine, somewhere you could sit by the bar and fuck the world<\/p>\n

off for a couple hours, go on a romantic one on one date or to simply just indulge in the finer things in life\u2026natural wine.<\/p>\n

The other two recommendations will be my go-to spots for a take away bottle of wine. With this ever changing economical climate and COVID-19 etc there has never been a better time to simply grab a bottle to go and enjoy in the comfort<\/p>\n

of your own home – a place that\u2019s safe, sound and \u00a0 <\/span>definitely warmer than the winters here in Manny!<\/p>\n

For a glass of<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

@Erst_mcr<\/b><\/a> – Erst has probably got one of the grandest natural wine selections by the glass and by the bottle in the whole city, there\u2019s just no denying it. And their wine selection sits perfectly with the ethos of the joint ; only use natural\/organic products and ingredients local to Manchester. When you\u2019re looking for a harmonious experience between food and a glass of natural wine Erst has to be your go-to spot, without a doubt.<\/p>\n

@Iscawines <\/b><\/a>– Isca was started up by two ladies who are well-equipped to delve into the natural wine world, Caroline Dubois and Isobel Jenkins. Call it a hole in the wall, a wine bar, a natural wine shop, a deli, you name it and they\u2019ve successfully managed to cover it in the quaint yet intimate space they\u2019ve got based in Levenshulme Village. The experience in Isca is like no other, their wine selection (by the glass especially) is\u00a0 <\/span>O F F . T H E . C H A R T S\u00a0 <\/span>thanks to Caroline\u2019s say euro connections and possibly the most unique, ever-changing selection in the country. If you haven\u2019t already been, get your arse up their because like the entire essence of natural wine, it\u2019s a subjective, special\u00a0 <\/span>experience at Isca.<\/p>\n