Muri

Muri is all about unexpected wine alternatives, flavour development and changing perceptions around the NoLo space.

Based in Copenhagen, Muri was born initially as a one-man band by Murray Paterson. A food and drink nerd, Murray was drawn to the creativity of the food and beverage industry and that feeling when you taste something and it really stops you in your tracks.

Working with some of the leading cider producers in the world and with the industry-leading flavour company, Empirical, Murray explored the boundaries of what could be done in terms of flavour creation in drinks. He honed his skills in the production processes across layered fermentations, distillation and blending. It was here that the seed for what Muri is today was sown.

The Approach - Fermentation is the starting point. Wine is a fermented drink, so it makes sense that fermentation is the foundation of what they do at Muri.

The Technique - Rather than just relying solely on a lengthy list of ingredients to make liquids interesting, Muri's point of difference lies in technique. Specially cultivated yeasts, kefir grains, and sourdough starters as separate cultures for example are often used within the same drink. Murray and his team go to great lengths to extract flavour by applying technique. This includes foraging and drying their own herbs, grinding their own malt, blanching and toasting botanicals and freeze-thawing tougher fruits to break down fibers. Techniques used in kitchens such as dry carbonic maceration, wood smoking, and lacto fermentation for instance are used to boost flavour and texture.

Blending - Murray’s experience as a distiller at Empirical taught him the value of blending drinks. At Muri, different liquids for specific purposes relating to taste and structure are used and these are carefully blended these together to build layers of flavour, funk, and complexity.