Natural

About the Winery

Niepoort

There is a revolution happening in the Douro, and Dirk Niepoort is leading the troops. For centuries this part of Portugal has been known only for its port, but today, many of these Portuguese winemakers are beginning to make red and white table wines with the same grapes that have traditionally only been used for ports.

Dirk was born in 1964 to a traditional Port family that has been in business since 1842. The first wine Dirk participated in making was the Niepoort Vintage Porto of 1987. At the time, the family-owned no vineyards, and had to source all its wine and grapes from other growers. Since then, he took over the management of the winery and set to purchasing top, old-vine, steep vineyards to secure top-quality grapes. He also started a project of making dry wines, from these prized, generally north-facing vineyards. The Niepoort house still keeps a complete line-up of Porto wines, ranging from Tawny to Colheita and Garrafeira (a tawny aged in 10L glass bottles, that only Niepoort makes), and from Ruby to Vintage. The dry wines, which now make up about 75% of the winery's production, include whites Redoma and Redoma Reserva, and reds Vertente, Redoma, Batuta, and Charmes. 

Today, the Niepoort family owns 80 HA of vines in the Douro, all farmed organically, incorporating some Biodynamic principles as well. They also have purchased some truly amazing, old vine vineyards in Bairrada, Dao and Vino Verde. Dirk also now has vineyards in the Mosel in Germany, which he vinifies with his two sons. While the Ports remain fairly traditionally made, the still wines have evolved considerably since the days of the late 90s and early 2000s when big, powerful, oaky wines were the trend. Today, the wines are very much in keeping with today's more progressive drinking wheelhouse. Namely, lower alcohols (often 11-13%), lighter, fresher, more drinkable-styled wines with minimal new oak influence. 

About the Winery

Vignoble du Reveur

Vignoble du Reveur (The Dreamer’s Vineyard) is a domaine founded by the immensely talented Mathieu Deiss (of Domaine Marcel Deiss) and his partner Emmanuelle Milan. While working with his father Jean Michel Deiss at the family domaine, Mathieu received an inheritance of vines from his uncle in the commune of Bennwihr, just outside the valley of Kaysersberg in Alsace. While continuing to work at Domaine Marcel Deiss, Mathieu and Emmanuelle saw the opportunity to use these 7 ha of vines as a home to experiment, push boundaries, and explore a new path for biodynamic viticulture and their winemaking dreams.

As with all things Deiss, it starts in the vineyards and their natural environment. After taking on the vines in 2011, they converted the domaine to biodynamics (it had been previously organically farmed before his uncle’s health problems) and received Demeter certification in 2013. Mathieu and Emmanuelle employ the same co-planting philosophy as the one at Domaine Marcel Deiss. As Mathieu explains, “We’ve chosen not to accentuate any particular grape, but rather the texture, consistency, depth, and minerality of the wine”. The wines in the stunning lineup show what this talented couple is capable of; from direct-pressed, co-planted Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc to skin macerated whites that set a new standard for the “orange wine” category. Mathieu and Emmanuelle’s intellectual curiosity pushes them to continue to experiment with new techniques in the cellar, including the remarkable “Rien en Bouge” cuvée, which is made with whole bunches of Pinot Noir macerated in direct-pressed Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc juice. Trailblazing is in the Deiss DNA, and in the future, we can expect many more paradigm-shifting innovations from this dynamic duo.

About the Winery

Weingut Heinrich

Gernot and Heike Heinrich founded their winery in 1990 with just one hectare and have steadily grown to 90 hectares today. Heinrich was one of the first in the region to transition from simple white wines to high-quality reds in the early 1990s and became famous for powerful red blends such as Salzberg, Gabarinza, and Pannobile. In recent years, the focus has turned to Blaufränkisch from the nearby Leithaberg DAC, and to “Freyheit,” a line of natural wines produced with minimal intervention in the cellar. Heinrich converted to biodynamics in 2006 and is a member of Respekt, a certifying body for biodynamic viticulture in Austria. Heinrich today is one of Austria’s most innovative wine producers.

Neusiedlersee, named for Lake Neusiedl, is a wine-growing area located north and east of the lake and is home to the Heinrich winery. The moderating effect of the lake combines with the warm Pannonian climate, and its alluvial soils provide ideal conditions for red grape varieties. The Heinrich estate consists of 90 hectares in three main areas: Heideboden (sandy-loam soils that stretch from the village of Gols to the shores of Lake Neusiedl); the Parndorfer Platte (low-lying hills with gravel soils located near the winery); and Leithaberg (a hill of limestone and schist soils on the northwestern edge of the lake).

About the Winery

Suertes del Marqués

The Canary Islands, located off the coast of Morocco, but technically a part of Spain, form a backdrop for some of the most unlikely yet wondrous vineyards for producing fine wines in the entire world.

In a valley facing North and North east on the cooler, ocean-influenced North-facing part of the Island is the Valle de la Orotava DO and home to the vineyards of Suertes Del Marques.  The vineyards are on very steep hillsides rising up from the sea, between 400 and 700 meters elevation. This part of the island is often 15-20 degrees cooler than the much hotter and sunnier south side of the island. Like the extreme Sonoma Coast in CA, this area is often under cloud cover which protect the grapes from the powerful sun rays. In fact, Tenerife is at the same latitude as Central Florida, and well out of the 30-50 latitude range that is often considered the 'rule' for making fine wines.

Visiting the vineyards of Suertes del Marques is like going back in time.  The area is Phylloxera free and so the vines are pie franco (own rooted) and extremely old, with some potentially over 200 years!  Many of the vines are trained using a unique method to this area called Cordon Trenzado where the vines spread out in long braids of wood, some up to 15-20 feet from the mother trunk! The varietal mix here is like a treasury of lost and little know grapes: Listan Negro and Blanco, Malvasia Rosado, Vijariego, Baboso Negro and more, about 80% red and 20% white.

Given the extremely special nature of what Suertes del Marques possesses, proprietor Jonatan Garcia Lima works all his vineyards organically and all by hand and with the utmost care and respect for nature and the history. And from these amazing and unique vineyards, he endeavors to make fresh, tensile and mineral driven wines that showcase the volcanic soils and the native varieties.  To achieve his objective, through years of experimentation and refinement, he has divided up the slope into parcels to achieve a hierarchy (much like a slope in Burgundy) as well as a unique vineyard signature to each of his top Cru wines.  These various parcels have names like El Ciruelo, El Chibirique, El Esquilon and La Solana. The parcel wines are also grouped by soil type, with gold capsules indicating more "sandy" soils and silver capsules more clay over the bedrock of volcanic subsoils. 

To achieve the utmost purity and refinement to the wines, all work in the cellar is done with a minimum of interference. This includes all indigenous yeast fermentations, use of neutral large oak barrels with minimal racking and added sulphur during the élévage. He also is a believer of using a decent percentage of whole clusters in fermentation for these native varietals, having been inspired by tasting and visiting in areas like Burgundy and the Rhone Valley. At bottling, there is also a minimum of filtration with the wines just passing through a large screen to remove any unwanted remnants, stems, grape skins, etc.

The resulting wines are super pure, and without artifice. They most certainly reflect the terroir from which they come. On both the reds and whites, they are fresh and bright with a strong underlying volcanic minerality, which Jonatan says can sometimes be misconstrued as reduction. Nonetheless,the wines themselves can sometimes be a little reduced, particularly in the months after bottling given the minimal racking and low SO2. If so, he recommends a nice decant before serving. He says. "if I wanted to make simple, fruity wines, without this pronounced 'Volcanic' character, I would have to use artificial yeast and new oak!" Obviously, not the kind of wines he or we are looking for from this unique terroir! All in all, these are extremely versatile wines and can pair beautifully with a range of foods.

About the Winery

Aphros

Founded in 2002, Aphros is a project designed to combine ecological and economical aspects to create true sustainability. Their belief is that nature and labour should combine in a meaningful way and they seek to capture this through Biodynamic viticulture, letting the uniqueness of the land shine through the fruit for inimitable wines. Loureiro and Vinhão have grown in these vineyards for centuries and serve as the reference point for the region.

The grapes are sourced from the Lima sub-region and the vines of Casal do Paço are situated in a south-facing amphitheatre north of the Lima River on gentle slopes with cool Atlantic breezes.

The winemaking is traditional, taking place in the basement beneath the main house. The cave is buried and naturally cool and damp. They once again straddle the line between a modern and traditional character with the addition of modern stainless steel equipment and traditional open-top lagars, and granite stone tanks, for red wine production.

About the Winery

Štekar

The Štekar family has been growing grapes in Goriska Brda since 1985. With 6 acres of vines planted in the stunning hills of western Slovenia, along with cherry orchards, Jure Štekar has committed to make wine the way his grandfather Emil taught his father: respecting tradition and avoiding invasive technologies.

Certified organic since 2006, Jure likes to play with long macerations, spontaneous fermentations and tiny SO2 amounts. His goal is to produce genuine wines that tell the story of his land and family.

About the Winery

Punset

Punset is an innovator when it comes to organic wine. Inheriting the estate in 1982, Marina Marcarino is a fifth generation winemaker, and she took her estate to the future whilst preserving age-old traditions.

She transformed all 20 hectares of her land into a fully organic vineyard during a time where major producers of Barolo and Barbaresco were abandoning tradition to compete commercially. Instead of following the trend, she struck out on her own, and made wines that resonated with her past and passions. Known for the very first certified organic Barbaresco of Italy, Marina continues to show the world that you can preserve tradition and think of the future simultaneously.

About the Winery

Matthias Hager

The Hager Matthias winery is located in the small village of Mollands in the Kamptal area of Lower Austria. Matthias took over the 12-hectare land and the family business at an early age. He aims to produce the best quality wine possible and to focus on being in balance with nature. The lands are cultivated according to biodynamic principles and are certified Demeter. Matthias has a vast knowledge about plants and insects, and about keeping the flora and fauna in harmony with the vines. Matthias Hager is one of the most experimental winemakers in the Kamptal region, Austria. He understood early how to work with different soil types from loess to clay. He established different product lines to highlight these differences: the blue one representing fresh, lively wines including Grüner Veltliner and Sauvignon Blanc; and the brown line gravitating towards more earthy, flavourful produce and the red line stands for no sulphites!

About the Winery

Mas des Agrunelles

Frédéric Porro was an aspiring Motorcross rider until an accident left him in a wheelchair. This led him to a new passion - wine - after his sister asked him to put together the wine list for a restaurant. From that moment on, he became devoted to the grape. Mas des Agrunelles came about from his collaboration with Stéphanie Ponson – owner of Mas Nicot – in 2005 near Murles in Languedoc. Stéphanie and Frédéric met in 1999 while studying enology in Montpellier. The name of the estate comes from tall the wild sloe trees that surround the vineyards and sloe is ‘Agrunelles’ in old occitan.

The couple make wine with the same diligance and passion as other biodynamic winemakers have before them, it all began with experimentation, trial and error- but they quickly moved from organic vines to a fully functioning biodynamique vineyard and winery. They are proud to produce natural wines of high quality. Located 20 km to the northwest of Montpellier in the communes of Argelliers and La Boissiere, at an average altitude of 200 m, influenced by a cold wind coming from the Cevennes via St Martin de Londres, where both Mistral and Tramontane reach top speeds.

About the Winery

Elios

“Elios” was born from the passion of these two young Sicilian friends. With a true love for their land, they joined together to develop their families’ farms and to bring them to their full potential after finishing their university studies. The farm and vineyards are located near Palermo in north west Sicily.  Along with olive groves and an apiary, they grow the native Sicilian grapes Grillo, Catarratto, Zibibbo and Nero d'Avola on their organic vineyards.  

Elios prides itself on making minimum intervention, low sulfite wines with native Sicilian, organic grapes grown between Alcamo, Camporeale and Monreale; areas all located in the north-west part of Sicily. The wine making focuses on respect for the varietal, and aims to deliver an easy drinking, approachable style.

About the Winery

Domaine Frédéric Brouca

Frédéric grew up in Normandy and met his Canadian wife Elaine at university in Lille, Northern France. They live a nomadic lifestyle (Canada, India, Singapore and USA) though Frédéric spends about half of his time in Faugères. Since early age, Frédéric had a calling for farming and the fierce desire to become a winegrower. After completing a Masters Degree in Finance in 2001, Frédéric went back to college for a Sommelier diploma and started his career as a Burgundy wine broker.

In late 2012, Frédéric and Elaine were fortunate to take over 25 acres of old vines in Faugères, organically farmed for twenty years and deeply rooted in schist soils.

2013 was the inaugural vintage for Domaine Frédéric Brouca. In his modest winery in the village of Laurens, Frédéric is creating a new vision for Faugères wines; fresh, vibrant and made without artifice. Nothing revolutionary, simply returning to our grandparent's ideology of farming and winemaking to craft 'Vins Vivants'. The Faugères Appellation is in the heart of Languedoc in the Hérault department. Here, winemaking dates back to the Greek times and was developed during the Roman Era. It wasn't until the early 1900's, however, that the wines became more widely known for its unique schist soils and moderate Mediterranean climate. These villages are heavily reliant on wine as an important part of their culture and economy.

The area is stunning with mountain views and close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea (20 miles / 30 kms). Faugères has a long history of responsible farming. It boasts the highest percentage of organic vineyards for any AOC in all of France with almost 50% of farmers making the choice.

About the Winery

Daniele Saccoletto

Amidst the rolling hills and the river Po, nestled within the forests, fields and meadows, the Saccoletto Daniele Winery sits quietly watching over their ten hectares of land spread between the towns of San Giorgio and Rosignano for over forty years. Here in eastern Piemonte they craft their wines with careful precision, honesty, and completely organic.

Each year brings something new because nature is not consistent and they are more than up to the challenge to adapt, constantly adapting to the land and the fruit of each vintage. Being outside the DOC/DOCG system, their approache often involves long maturation on the skins with natural yeasts, and hand harvesting. Certified Organic since 2000.

About the Winery

Celler Escoda-Sanahuja

Joan Ramón Escoda founded Celler Escoda Sanahuja in 1999 along with his wife Mari Carmen in Conca del Barbera, Catalonia. Since then, they have been disrupting the wine industry both in their home-country and internationally.

Celler Escoda Sanahuja was one of the first wineries that, back in 2005 stopped adding sulphites to their wines. Joan Ramon has always been a radical winemaker and a grass-roots innovator. His wild enthusiasm has been fuel for the natural winemaking scene, and has also led him to, spontaneously, create the 'Brutal' movement popular in natural wine circles. These are highly individual wines reflecting their origins and their innovative winemaker.

About the Winery

Celler Escoda-Sanahuja

Joan Ramón Escoda founded Celler Escoda Sanahuja in 1999 along with his wife Mari Carmen in Conca del Barbera, Catalonia. Since then, they have been disrupting the wine industry both in their home-country and internationally.

Celler Escoda Sanahuja was one of the first wineries that, back in 2005 stopped adding sulphites to their wines. Joan Ramon has always been a radical winemaker and a grass-roots innovator. His wild enthusiasm has been fuel for the natural winemaking scene, and has also led him to, spontaneously, create the 'Brutal' movement popular in natural wine circles. These are highly individual wines reflecting their origins and their innovative winemaker.

About the Winery

Cantine Barbera

Cantina Barbera is located in the Menfi Coast, on the west coast of Sicily. The vineyards are about one mile from the Mediterranean Sea: an uncontaminated deep blue sea, facing South, where low cliffs and sandy dunes create a beautiful environment protected by the Belice River Natural Reservation Fund.

A third generation farmer, Marilena Barbera farms the Inzolia that her grandfather planted in the 20's, just as she attends to the native varietals that are the new frontier of her own generation: Perricone, Nerello, Alicante, Nero d'Avola and Grillo. Marilena makes her wines praticticing organic farming and natural winemaking, while paying utmost respect to Menfi's terroir.

"At the winery, I chose to work only with spontaneous fermentations and to adopt non invasive winemaking practices, in order to respect the unique personality of Sicilian native grape varieties and the beautiful land to which they belong."

About the Winery

Abbia Nòva

Located in the town of Pilio, about thirty miles east of Rome, Abbia Nova is the project of cousins Daniele and Pierluca Proietti. They farm 7 hectares of vines, mostly inherited from Daniele’s father, with many of the vines being indigenous varietals to the area. Some of these vines are at least eighty years old.

The cousins follow a combination of natural and traditional methods both in the vineyards and in the cellar, starting with organic and then moving to biodynamic principles. They avoid treatments like sulphur and copper and instead use natural resistance methods that they produce themselves. Their wines are vegan-friendly and organic certified from vintage 2020 on.

About the Winery

Abbia Nòva

Located in the town of Pilio, about thirty miles east of Rome, Abbia Nova is the project of cousins Daniele and Pierluca Proietti. They farm 7 hectares of vines, mostly inherited from Daniele’s father, with many of the vines being indigenous varietals to the area. Some of these vines are at least eighty years old.

The cousins follow a combination of natural and traditional methods both in the vineyards and in the cellar, starting with organic and then moving to biodynamic principles. They avoid treatments like sulphur and copper and instead use natural resistance methods that they produce themselves. Their wines are vegan-friendly and organic certified from vintage 2020 on.