The 2019 Wineslinger Award winners were recently named by Young Gun of Wine. Among them was Supernatural Cellars, winner of the inaugural Maverick award.
The Wineslinger Awards are an annual celebration of venues who hero wine, as decided and voted on by a panel of 100 wine and hospitality experts. This year the awards welcomed the Maverick title for the first time, intended to celebrate a venue that is “pushing the boundaries of possibility.”
Such a description is an apt fit for Supernatural Cellars, Byron Bay’s first natural wine bar. Young Gun of Wine founder Rory Kent said it was clear from the start that the wine bar was something special.
“They’ve had the gumption to go and set up a business in a regional location – and yet from the start the response was, why didn’t anyone do this sooner! That’s a sign that they’re onto something,” Kent said.
Driving Supernatural Cellars success is owner Peter Windrim, coming from a background of wine making in his family’s biodynamic vineyard and winery in the Hunter Valley, Krinklewood.
Windrim moved to Byron Bay, a holiday spot for his family, and saw the space for a wine bar, particularly one that heroes natural products. Supernatural Cellars wins the award at just seven months old, with Windrim telling Bars&Clubs he was flattered to be recognised in the Wineslinger Top 50, let alone the Maverick award itself.
“I was flattered that we were seen and recognized or validated for what we were doing because I just operated on instinct. I just was like, well this is how I feel it should be done because this is what I would like as an offering and an experience,” Windrim said.
“To get an award for the one that was a little bit about rattling the cage and changing the format was really nice because that’s exactly where I’d like to be. I’m not setting out to do things to be radical or to be obnoxious or disruptive, I’m being myself.”
The philosophy behind Supernatural Cellars is all connected to the simple enjoyment of wine as a community.
Windrim explained his idea behind it and said: “it’s a bit of a passive exploration and education with wine because wine can be quite polarising and alienating to people.”
“It was one of those things that was given all of this terminology by scientists and aristocrats back in the day and sort of hijacked from the farmers and common people, given all these fancy terms that a lot of people don’t know, ignore, or don’t understand.”
Although there is a sommelier and a range of other knowledgeable staff at Supernatural Cellars, traditional wine-speak is not the default. Instead, the wine list uses more metaphorical and emotional language to describe the wines, like “skimming stones on the river” or “holding hands with boys.”
Windrim said this builds consumer confidence to ask questions and learn more about the wines they like.
“I just tried to make it really approachable, but behind that, there’s a lot of knowledge if people do want to go there,” Windrim explained.
Complementing Supernatural Cellar’s natural and biodynamic wine list is a food menu also inspired by sustainability.
Windrim said he wanted to; “move away from unnecessary meat dishes and things with the food, pretty much pushing full vegetarian and pescatarian.”
Alike to the whole ethos surrounding the bar, there is no cutlery, making customers embrace the simple pleasure of eating with your hands.
As for the future, Windrim said he is excited to see how the Wineslinger will grow after this second year of industry recognition.
“Menus and restaurants and food is always being championed so hard in Australia,” Windrim said. He explained his thoughts that wine lists traditionally have been allowed less freedom than those that are food based.
“It’s purely expressive, and I think that’s what the Wineslinger is really about – an honest expression of what should be out there, and what the customers need to see rather than what conglomerates are trying to move… it’s encouraging you to be a bit different so I think the awards are awesome.”
