This late February-March, we’re opening an intimate opportunity for a handful of people to make a true natural wine with us from start to finish from Certified Biodynamic grapes. Rather than buying wine after it’s made, this is fully pre-committed, community-made wine: you support the harvest upfront, take part in the process, and receive wine that you've made once it’s bottled. 

We’re keeping this deliberately small, personal and hands-on. 

The Commitment

• Limited to 10 people / couples / families / teams 

Each person/group commits to: 

• Half a barrel (16 dozen / 192 bottles) of your own wine, made with your own hands 
• 100% pre-paid at sign-up 

Cost 

• $3,840 total per person / couple / family / team

This is equivalent to: 

• $240 per dozen 
• or $20 per bottle (all incl.) 

This pricing is significantly lower than our 2026 retail wines will be, reflecting the upfront commitment and shared production model. 

What You’re Making

Your own community-supported natural wine: you will have your own ferment to care for (we’ll guide and support you every step of the way and guarantee deliciousness), from picking to bottling and labelling. 

The ferment you personally guide will press into one full barrel of wine. We'll bottle half of that barrel with you, and it's yours to take home. The other half will be blended into a Community Blend, which we will release via Minimum to share the energy of this beautiful community project. 

Style: Your variety choice between biodynamic Syrah or Cab Sauv, your style choice from rosé through light chillable red, to deep red - we will guide you on the technique for your choice. 

Made here with us at the Minimum winery in Northcote, during the harvest from late Feb to early March. 

Fully natural wine: hand-picked Certified Biodynamic grapes, wild fermented, no additives, no sulphur, we’ll guide you through it all and guarantee success! 

Everyone involved also contributes to the Community Blend wine — one group batch made from all of the wines, one shared story. 

The Experience

As a participant, you’re invited to be as involved as you like. Be a part of: 

• Day 1: Picking & Crushing
  Late Feb, early March our grapes will be ready to harvest. This will be scheduled on a weekend if weather/conditions permit. Note: the grapes are located a 2-2.5 hour drive from Melbourne. We will pick during the day, and crush back at our Northcote winery that evening, around 5pm.
• Days 2-14: Plunging & Tasting
  Twice a day, morning and evening, your ferment will need to be plunged (note: this only takes 10 minutes!) during the primary fermentation phase (usually 10-14 days). You can come anytime between 8am and 10am for the morning plunge, and anytime between 5pm and 10pm for the evening plunge. If you can't make on any occasion, we will do it for you.
• Day 10-14: Pressing
  We will help you decide when to press your ferment (with our hand-cranked basket presses) and fill your barrel!
• Jan/Feb 2027: Bottling
  Together as a community.
  
• Come for one key day, or all the days — totally flexible 
• Learn by doing, alongside the rest of the group and us

If you can’t make it on certain days: 

• We’ll watch and care for the wine on your behalf 
• The wine will always be monitored, tasted, and shepherded by us 
• You’re never responsible for “missing” a crucial step; we got you 
• The heart of the experience is participation and community — but the wine is always in safe hands. 

Storage & Care

• Once bottled, we’ll store your wine for you in the winery until you're ready to collect your 16 dozen
• Safe, temperature-stable storage until you’re ready to collect 
• Collection timing can be flexible and discussed in advance though we anticipate most people will want to simply take their wine home on bottling day!

The Community Aspect

This is intentionally social and collaborative. You’ll be making wine alongside an intimate group of like-minded people.

A shared harvest experience with: 

• Curious drinkers 
• Natural food and wine lovers 
• People interested in how real wine is made 
• A chance to connect, learn, and be part of something genuinely hands-on 

This isn’t a class or a tour — it’s a shared project. 

Questions for us 

How much time do I need to commit? 
There’s no fixed requirement. Some people may come for a single key day (like crushing or bottling), others may come for every step of the process. The experience is designed to fit around your availability.  

When do I need to be available?
Harvest activities will take place over a few weeks, mostly during daylight hours. We’ll communicate dates in advance and make sure there are multiple opportunities to be involved. The grapes are ready when the grapes are ready, but likely harvest day would be late Feb or early March. If there is interest in participating in the picking, we will do our best to schedule it on a weekend.

What if I can’t make it to important stages? 
No problem. We’re here every day and will fully care for and monitor the wine if you can’t attend. The wine will never be left unattended or unmanaged. 

What will the label look like?
All wines we produce at the Minimum winery are required to have a simple back label with mandatory information on it. We will also produce a community wine front label for the Community Blend, which you can choose to place on the front of your personal bottles. We’ll design this ourselves, in keeping with our style, and share it with the group before bottling. You can also choose to take your wine ‘cleanskin’ with just the mandatory label on the back, so that you can create your own front labels at home ;)   

Will the wine really be natural? 
Yes. This will be a fully natural wine: Certified Biodynamic grapes, wild fermented, no additives, no sulphur — made the same way we make all our wines now. 

Where will my wine be stored? 
We’ll store your wine safely onsite after bottling, in appropriate conditions, until you’re ready to collect your 16 dozen. 

When do I get my wine? 
Timing will depend on the wine, but we’ll communicate clearly throughout the process so you know what to expect. Our wines are generally bottled 12 months after they are made, so expect it to be ready around Jan/Feb 2027. 

Do I need any prior winemaking experience? 
Not at all. This is designed for curious beginners as well as people who already know a bit about wine. 

Why This Works (For Everyone)

For participants:

• A rare chance to be meaningfully involved in making a fully natural wine 
• Incredible value per bottle
• A deeper connection (the deepest) to what’s in your glass 

For us:

• Assists with upfront cash flow during harvest 
• No inventory risk 
• A sustainable way to grow while building community 

The End Result

• You’ll receive 192 bottles of your wine, build community and have been an integral part of our Community Blend wine.
• Bottled and labelled together with the group 
• Stored safely until collection 
• A wine you didn’t just buy — you made 

Sign up

Will you join us this year? Or, would you like to be added to a list for early-bird access to the callout for next vintage? Fill out the form below, and Matt will get in touch personally with next steps.