Is the wine you're drinking vegan-friendly? This is a process which can potentially create more damage on a wine than make things better. Frank Cornellisen Not all natural wine is vegan, but the vast majority are 100% vegan-friendly. Unfortunately, within the mainstream, corporate wine industry, whether a wine is vegan, or not, is not something they’re arsed about. And when I say mainstream wine industry, I’m talking about your local franchise supermarkets, independent corner shops and well-known-brand wine stores worldwide that sell what we call ‘conventional wine’. What Makes A Wine Non ..read more

It’s called ‘Garrut’ and is a wildcard grape variety I discovered for the first time in Partida Creus’ underground wine cellar during a tasting with Antonella Gerona. Garrut is a grape that has a thick skin and yearns for hot and dry climate conditions. Garrut is also known as the Catalonian version of the Spanish Monastrell and French Mourvédre respective grape varieties. Probably the maddest red wine I ever had - it was a fascinating experience of prominent tastes and mind-boggling flavours. An experience that I would compare to the first time I experienced bitter, black coffee in the mornin ..read more

The emphatic natural wine producers, situated in Bonastre of Catalonia. When the opportunity arose to go and visit the acclaimed natural wine producer Antonella Gerona at her and Massimo Marchiori’s Catalonian natural winery - Partida Creus, there was no chance I was letting that one slip away from me. Opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared. – George S. Clason. Who Are Partida Creus? To reiterate my point - Massimo and Antonella’s project, situated in the picturesque Catalonian hills of Bonastre, not 10km inland from the Balearic Sea, is one of the ..read more

This month’s roundup of my favourite natural wines, on the cheaper side, available here in the UK. Joiseph, ‘Mischkultur’ All the wine aged for 12 months, saw some occasional battonage, and was bottled with a tiny sulphite addition. Unfined, unfiltered. ‘Mischkultur’ means a ‘mix of cultures’ and represents both the biodiversity in these particular vineyards as well as the diverse group of people that take part and help in the Joiseph project. People that support each other, plants that support each other. Symbiosis. Click Here To Purchase. Joispeh is a young winery located by the Neusiedl ..read more

This month’s roundup of my favourite natural wines, on the cheaper side, available here in the UK. Joiseph, ‘Mischkultur’ All the wine aged for 12 months, saw some occasional battonage, and was bottled with a tiny sulphite addition. Unfined, unfiltered. ‘Mischkultur’ means a ‘mix of cultures’ and represents both the biodiversity in these particular vineyards as well as the diverse group of people that take part and help in the Joiseph project. People that support each other, plants that support each other. Symbiosis. Click Here To Purchase. Joispeh is a young winery located by the Neusiedl ..read more

Hailed by Kermit Lynch as 'The Gang of Four' in the 1980s. These days the kind of establishments where you normally drink natural wine are perceived as modern, quirky bars perched up in the city, in a gentrified town or in the comfort of your own living room, thanks to some sort of Amazon-inspired, same day delivery service. What we must not forget though, especially when swiping past those cloudy bottles of pink ‘glou-glou’ on Instagram, is that natural wine movement is so much more historic than your Instagram feed is suggesting. FYI - not pre Covid-19 historic, I’m talking pre 1980s histor ..read more

Ever feel daunted by where to even begin with natural wine? Natural wine is without doubt the most ethical form of wine you should be consuming. What is a natural wine? Quite simply, natural wine is a style of wine produced in the least harmful way possible with specific regards to the soils, the vines that grow from those soils, the handpicked, non-sprayed grapes and of course you the consumer. How is natural wine produced? Out in the vineyard the producer’s principles are very much aligned with an organic approach; no chemical-based fertilisers or herbicides are used on the soils, especially ..read more

If you didn’t know already… Manchester has been showcasing some serious potential in what has been a brilliant effort towards becoming a global powerhouse regarding its food and wine culture. Here is a quick, must-visit roundup of five natural wine bars contributing towards Manchester becoming a powerhouse in the UK and global gastronomy scene. Isca | Levenshulme Isca combines natural wine with supreme deli goods, celebrating the connection with the source of their offerings and the person behind them. Sustainability and transparency is at the forefront of everything they do—so whether you g ..read more

I’m gonna make you a wine you can’t refuse Collaboration and surprise, that’s what this world is made up of and if Beaujolais-based Jules Chauvet the natural wine don, met New York City-based fictional mafioso Don Vito Corleone, that would be the exact quote I’d pull out of their legendary conversation.  Who Was Jules Chauvet? So, Jules Chauvet, who is this person I dare mention in the same sentence as the one and only Don Vito Corleone from The Godfather? Jules throughout his life was a maker of wine, a seller of wine, and according to all accounts from his generation - one of the most ..read more

It’s usually the nuanced, appealing colours, obviously, then the enticing graphics on the label. Be it minimalistic and sleek like Tillingham’s, or aboriginal-inspired like Jauma’s, the label on a natural wine will always be one of the first things to grasp your attention.  I know, natural wine and graphic design…quite the odd, unassuming relationship when you think about it. But when you actually go deep on it, as I’m about to, you’ll realise that these two liberating industries have a whole lot in common. A lot of natural wine’s current growth is not only down to the high quality wine i ..read more