During the month of April , 2016 we celebrate an exciting, innovative promotion of organic, biodynamic and natural wine.

At the dawn of winemaking this is how wine emerged from the fermenting cycle, unaltered by the primordial custodians of the red bacchian juice. It shows mostly what grapes,yeast and mother nature intended to do, turning pressed grapes into the, then, elixir of life which was wine. Nowadays, for commercial reasons the majority of wine is made with a much more scientific intervention, especially in the winery where the wine gets fined, filtered or stabilized. Natural wine is purely going back to the roots, but with the acquired knowledge of centuries of winemaking and vine growing which is emphasized in all of the wines selected by us. Great terroir, quality grapes and a winemaker’s influence as subtle as it gets.

We selected a case of 6 wines , concentrated around the Old World, all natural and all emphasising the depth of this re-emerging way of growing grapes and making wine.

The first from the list is a 2014 Ribeiro, Sameiras Tinto , from sunny Spain, although the particular Ribeiro region gets a bit more rain than other parts of Spain. It has a great sense of place, almost immediately reminding you of a humid, cool cellar full of barrels, some of them even fermenting and it pierces the air with black cherries, black raspberries and a sublime earthy spice. Wonderfully fresh too !

The second offering is a 2014 Rosso Piceno, Bacchus, Ciu Ciu  from the eastern coast of Italy, blending two native Italian grapes : Montepulciano D’Abruzzo and Sangiovese. It’s natural wine feel is a lot subtler, mainly because these two grape varieties retain much more acidity and minerality, giving the wine a crisper, fresher aroma . Red cherries, red & dark forest fruits abound here, complemented by woody spices and a feeling that you might just be (for a moment in time) at a Roman’s table, enjoying some fruitful delight of this juicy treat.

A 2010 Sur un Nuage,Le Scarabee from the South of France completes the red circle, this time with a strong, natural wine, character and providing you with a true insight into rural France, juicy rustic fruits that have been swaying in the mild wind of Midi, a hay stack, a farmer’s cheese snack, a bit of all the bramble too. It’s taking you back to the 60’s somehow and not by driving a 3 wheel Peugeot. Hold on to your hat !

The first of the whites is a 2014 Reserve de Gassac, from the Languedoc, France’s true back-yard, it is predominantly Viognier and it shows. Lots of stone fruits completed by citrusy notes and a gentle meadow breeze, it’s all organically grown on slightly chalky red soils around the village of Aniane.

The second white, a 2013 offering by Tour de Gendre, Cuvee des Conti  from Bergerac, the lesser known neighbour of Bordeaux, combining Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle in as natural way as possible, down to the very beginnings of wine presence in the region between the Garonne and Dordogne . It’s aromatic, waxy lemon and grapefruit notes get gently to the palate and carry with them the aroma of a wood seasoning yard. A superb terroir expressive wine !

The last of the offerings is coming from Austria, 2015 Gruner Veltliner, Strassertal Andorfer . Austria has had land under vine since of pre-dating the romans and this natural wine is at the pinnacle of that bygone era of emperors that were at the gates of Vienna. It comes with a wonderful texture, brimming with honeyed stone fruits, grassy notes, mirabelle and the feeling that it’s late autumn, you’ve just harvested and this is you reward. Don’t be shy to pair it with food, it’s quite versatile!

So, that concludes the little case offering we have prepared for you, let’s celebrate the coming of Spring with this lovely month of natural wine !

Please ask a member of staff for more details about our range of natural,organic and biodynamic wines !

Razvan