THE GRAPE MIGRATION
Living in Australia, the thriving local wine scene is hard to ignore. Restaurant lists are an ode to home-grown producers, and bottle-shops overflow with drops from almost every region under our harsh golden sun. And as they should – Australia claims some of the most diverse and prized producers on the planet. Yet, across the Pacific, it’s an entirely different story.
The United States is undeniably lacking in quality Australian wine, with imbibers favouring French, Spanish and Italian, as well as Napa Valley drops. No surprise, really, considering the expense of importing goods from a country that’s more than 15,000 kilometres away. This has resulted in mammoth large-scale producers, such as Mollydooker and Yellow Tail, dominating Australia’s portion of the market, ultimately perpetuating America’s view of our wines as “undrinkable”. There are a small number of passionate and knowledgeable expats, however, who are striving to change that perception.
Mel Hansche and Jason Hoy moved to the States in 2014. Hansche is a Gourmet Traveller alum and currently deputy editor of America’s Food & Wine magazine. Her partner, Hoy, is a wine connoisseur and hospitality veteran; he’s been in the business since he was 17, and previously managed Sydney’s renowned Ultimo Wine Centre, along with leading the city’s Summer of Riesling festival for six years. His true ambition, though, has always been to open a wine bar.
After two years living in New York City, the couple decided to relocate to the small town of Easton, Pennsylvania, where they dug deeper into their passion for the industry. The pair opened a quaint Aussie-style café called Tucker Silk Mill, luring locals and visitors with a playful menu of focaccia BLATs, sausage rolls and vibrant veggie-filled quiches, and of course, quality coffee. Now, the couple are building upon the success of the venture, and bringing Hoy’s dream of opening a wine bar to life.
Kabinett, which opened its doors late last year, is an eclectic and quirky Australian-leaning wine bar, simultaneously nodding to Hansche’s Germanic heritage with a solid selection of riesling. The couple are “blowing American’s minds” with a Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier, “a red that truly puts us on the world stage,” says Hansche; there’s also a S.C. Pannell’s Nebbiolo, Australia’s answer to Barolo; and one of the couple’s favourites – a Best’s 2021 Foudre Ferment Riesling, a stunning bottle that straddles old world and new world techniques. Through their carefully curated list, the pair hopes to bring a taste of Oz to Easton, and educate their guests about Australia’s dynamic and overwhelmingly expansive wine scene. “There’s a lot of wine education needed for Americans, I’m not going to lie,” says Hoy. “They love their Italian wine, they love Napa wine, but they’re also a massive cocktail and spirit drinking country. In Australia, wine and beer are first, cocktails second.”
Hansche agrees, and believes the key to that education process is to disarm. “You have to disarm people to try something new,” she says. “And we’re going to have to do that with a lot of humour, a lot of grace, and a lot of fun.” kabinettwinebar.com