As awareness of natural wine has ballooned, so have the number of fairs around the world that enable drinkers to meet the heroes behind the bottles. Most of these fairs take place in France and Italy, often organized by grower associations (see pages 120–21) to showcase the wines of their members or by importers in order to show off their portfolios. However, in recent years, lots of independent fairs have also popped up all over the world, from Tokyo to Sydney, from Zagreb to London, each hosting at least one fair where the trade and/or public can come together to meet growers and taste a wide selection of wines under one roof.
La Dive Bouteille, which is only open to wine professionals, celebrated its 15th edition in 2014. It was the first low-intervention wine fair ever created and is, today, the most established in terms of French grower attendance. Founded in the late 1990s by growers Pierre and Catherine Breton, along with 20-odd friends, it was eventually handed over to Sylvie Augereau, a wine journalist and author, under whom it has grown to over 150 growers. “I was militant and took it on as a mission to de-marginalize these guys who were crafting wine as it used to be done, and which they were doing with integrity and a sense of life and community that are rare today. I wanted to defend these ideas and help them be recognized for their work. Speaking to growers at the time, I could see that they were always isolated, so La Dive provided a place for them to get together.”
Inspired by La Dive, I created The Natural Wine Fair in 2011, with the help of five importers based in the United Kingdom. The project was short-lived, but paved the way for the creation of RAW WINE the following year, which brings together people (including growers, associations, trade, and public alike) to share their ideas and taste proper wine. With annual tastings in London, New York, and Berlin, RAW WINE is now the largest low-intervention organic, biodynamic, and natural wine fair in the world, and perhaps its most avant-garde thanks to its campaign-like stance on full disclosure. RAW WINE aims to move the natural wine debate forward by championing transparency. It is the only fair that asks growers to list any additives or manipulations used in the production of their wines, information that is then made available to the public. It has strict entry requirements and tries to ensure that growers are what they profess to be. Given the lack of clarity to date surrounding the precise definition of natural wine—and given its increasing popularity (plus the temptation for producers to jump on the natural wine bandwagon)—this can be quite a tricky task. However, sticking with fairs that have clearly defined charters of quality, or which have been carefully curated, while not an infallible approach, will likely mean that most growers are compliant.
RAW WINE (the artisan wine fair I created in 2012) is the only fair in the world that requires full disclosure from growers regarding any additives or interventions used during winemaking, including sulfite totals.
“In the beginning, we were treated like creatures from another planet. Nowadays, we attract buyers from all over the world.”
(SYLVIE AUGEREAU, LA DIVE BOUTEILLE WINE FAIR)
Other fairs of note, which are more or less natural, include Italy’s Villa Favorita (organized by VinNatur), Vini Veri, Vini di Vignaioli; France’s Greniers Saint-Jean (a Renaissance des Appellations tasting in the Loire), Buvons Nature, Salon des Vins Anonymes, Les 10 Vins Cochons, À Caen le Vin, Vini Circus; Festivin in Japan; and Rootstock in Australia, to name but a few.
For RAW WINE 2013, the samples of all the S.A.I.N.S. growers attending the fair were delivered by sailboat into the heart of central London.
Brett Redman (pictured here) is the owner/patron of Elliot’s in London Bridge. He says, “It’s easy for chefs to get their head around natural wine… we care about quality and interesting flavors.”
With a wide range of styles and price ranges, natural wines can today be found worldwide, from bars and casual eateries such as Antidote in London (pictured) to far-flung places like Soneva Fushi, an eco-resort in the Maldives that I once worked with.
Noma, the award-winning two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Copenhagen, won the much-coveted top spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for three years running and has served natural wines to diners for years.
