

There’s also a strong link between these worlds and growing interest in naturally fermented ciders. The malleable and more open-minded craft beer consumer is often far more receptive to the concept and flavor profile of a natural wine or cider. In contrast, the traditional wine consumer will often turn its nose up at the product – as Guardian food critic Jay Rayner once put it, bluntly: “Every natural wine I have ever tried has been horrible.”



It’s beer drinkers, and not wine drinkers though, that continue to be driven by the kinds of experiences natural wine can offer. It makes sense that in a strong wine-growing region such as New Zealand that it’s a brewer making such high profile strides into the natural wine market. It’s unlikely that they’ll be the last brewer to do so either. The UK’s Cloudwater, for example, has championed natural wines in its taproom even before its 2014 launch.



“Beer drinkers are a curious, restless bunch and are consistently looking for new flavours to experience,” Ruffell continues. “We think that if something is unique and interesting, it will attract an audience, and just like we've seen 'non beer drinkers' become ardent Garage Project fans, we expect to see 'non wine drinkers' hopefully have their minds changed by experiencing wines that taste unlike anything they might have had before.”



- Matthew Curtis