RAW 2015 Berlin – Sunday 29h November

Release from RAW Wine Fair:

'With over 120 wine growers, a cider producer, artisan spirits producer and oodles of junmaishu sake to taste, RAW looks set to take Berlin by storm! Space at the Markthalle Neun is limited, however, so whether or not you are trade, a keen drinker or curious press make sure you buy your tickets or register yourself online to avoid disappointment. 

Being so much more than just a wine fair, RAW has teamed up with a collection of restaurants, bars and importers from around Berlin who are offering a raft of RAW-ness to help get everyone in the spirit. So, whether it's 2-star Michelin dining, a theatrical 'vocal local', an evening of Berliner/Viennese/Japanese fusion or a boogy with a glass of natural wine in hand that rocks your boat, there's literally something for everyone at the RAW Off-Events taking place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening across Berlin on the weekend of the fair (27-29 Nov). To find out more, check out our "What's On" listing online. You can also keep up with our goings-on on Twitter (@RAWfair) and Facebook (here). 

Finally, don't forget to scroll down and e-meet some of the wonderful growers whose wines you will get to taste in just over 1 month's time...

Happy halloween to all,

Team RAW'

A few more RAW fotos

Quizzical look from Fed Niger Van Herck – Domaine de l'Ecu

A few more photos from the RAW Fair yesterday.

 Lise Jousset, Bertrand & Lise Jousset, Montlouis 

 Friends of Christophe & Geraldine Pialoux, Le Picatier, Roannaise, 
who manned their stand for them in London 

 RAW – always a popular event

A question of balance ....

2015 RAW photos

RAW 2015 : 17th and 18th May

A star is born! Vine Revival: terre de gneiss 

Christelle Guibert and Vincent Caillé

 Xavier Cailleau, Château de Bois-Brinçon

2013 Saules de Montbenault, Anjou Blanc 

very impressive first vintage from this parcel

 Vincent Caillé, Domaine le Fay d'Homme

 Laura Semeria, Domaine de Montcy, Cheverny + Cour-Cheverny

Thierry Michon, Domaine Saint Nicolas, Fiefs Vendéens
Obviously big in China!

More photos to follow

2015 RAW wine fair: Sunday 17th and Monday 18th May – box office now open

'Tickets & Registrations Now Available

The world of natural/organic/biodynamic wine will be descending once again on the fringe of London’s financial centre for the fifth edition of RAW in May. 130 growers have already confirmed their attendance and 29 profiles are up on the website - with many more to follow.

Fair is at the usual venue – The Old Truman Brewery in London's Brick Lane.

Tickets: 1-day & 2-day tickets to the fair are now on sale and can be purchased online for a discounted rate. All wine tasting is free with your ticket, as is a copy of the RAW wine guide (the official fair catalogue).

Trade Registrations: If you are in the business of buying or selling wine (i.e. sommelier, importer, retailer, restauranter, hotelier, etc), trade registrations are also open. See online for further details and eligibility.

Press Registrations: If you are a journalist wishing to attend RAW London, please register online.

Any questions, just let us know, and we look forward to welcoming you in May,

Team RAW'

For those of you who collect the annual RAW posters, this year's version is almost ready. In the meantime, here is a peak at the wine photo we're using this year. We took it yesterday in the lovely London sunshine...

Diary date: RAW Sunday 17th and Monday 18th May 2015

SAVE THE DATE!

RAW London, 17th  & 18th May 2015 

Message from RAW organisers: 
'We're back in central London for the fifth edition of the fair.

London's largest artisan wine fair is returning to the Old Truman Brewery (Spitalfields) on 17 & 18 May 2015. All wines showcased are organic or biodynamic with low intervention in the cellar, and many are totally natural - pure fermented grape juice.

Be sure to save the date so you can pop along and sample tasty wonders alongside a delicious range of other artisan food and drinks. Ticket sales and trade registrations will open at the end of January 2015.

We are also working on another location for 2015 - more news to follow. 

Stay in touch: twitter (@RAWfair)  | facebook (/RAWfair) | RAWfair.com'

The Truman Brewery venue for RAW 

on 17th and 18th May 2015

 

RAW – The Artisan Wine Fair: London 18th-19th May

 Scene from the 2013 RAW

Tickets for RAW – the artisan wine fair 18th-19th May@F BLOCK, The Old Truman Brewery, 83 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL – are now on sale. 

Ticket Information  

Ticket prices:  

Sunday 18 May (10 am to 6 pm)                                             
Trade: free
Public: advance tickets - £25 (on the door - £30) 

Monday 19 May (10 am to 8 pm)                                       

Trade: free

Monday 19 May (5 pm to 8 pm) 
Public (limited spaces): advance tickets - £25 (On the door - £30) 

Full Access for both days 
Sunday 18 May (10 am to 6 pm) & Monday 19 May (5 pm to 8 pm.
Public (limited spaces): advance tickets - £40 (discounted price only available as advanced ticket option)

Last year some of the wine arrived by boat

                                                                     

Cousin-Florent: compare and contrast

Olivier Cousin: Pur Breton  (vin de France)

Paysan angevin: Vin d'ici

This is lovely juicy, deep coloured, softly black fruited pure Cabernet Franc from Olivier Cousin. Although it isn't complex, this is certainly a wine to share with friends. This bottle was supplied by Les Caves de Pyrène. 

Olivier Cousin@The Real Wine Fair 2013

Olivier will be at the RAW wine fair  on Sunday 19th and Monday 20th May. He is one of the producers to bring their wine over from France by sailing boat (Mil'Pat), which is due to arrive on Thursday afternoon at St Katherine's Dock.

Cousin-Florent

On October 2nd 2013 Olivier Cousin will be before a court in Angers facing trial in a case brought by the French fraud authorities for having put Anjou Pur Breton on a vin de table label. Undoubtedly a heinous crime and one that if it goes unpunished has the potential to entirely undermine the French appellation system!

It is instructive to compare the zeal with which Olivier Cousin has been pursued by the French authorities, who doubtless find Cousin 'a pain in the arse' and their failure to mount any investigation into the miraculous 79 hectolitres of 2012 'Quarts de Chaume' made by Florent Baumard (Domaine des Baumard). Presumably it is all down to connections! See Florent's frozen miracle here. 

Domaine des Baumard, Quarts de Chaume 2012: grapes on Baumard's vignes larges 

planted on the terraces overlooking the Layon (above and below)

Photos taken on afternoon of 9th October. Baumard's first picking 15th/16th October, 

final tri 25th October

Florent Baumard took objection to my frozen miracle post and replied with What can i say. In his response Florent likened the decision of when to pick to that of a talented chef: 

'The photos posted on his blog purporting to show unripe grapes cannot be conclusive evidence of the average maturity of the parcels in question. The factors that go into the decision to harvest and selectively pick – at least in our vineyards – does not rest solely on theoretical calculations but also more delicate tools: look, taste, local knowledge, observion, and instinct.

This decision is not an easy one to make, and is comparable to when a talented chef instinctively knows to take something out of the oven or start cooking the next part of the meal.'

Declarations of 2012 Quarts de ChaumeDomaine des Baumard: 79 hls from under 5ha (Florent Baumard has declined to answer questions on the precise area declared)  

Château de Varière: 10hls from 1.25ha-1.30ha (picked on 8th November)
Pierre Aguilas: none declared
Patrick Baudouin: none declared
Château Bellerive: none declared (not possible due to weather conditions)
Domaine de la Bergerie: none declared
Domaine FL: none declared 
Vignobles Laffourcade: none declared
Château de la Mulonnière (Guy Saget): none declared 
Domaine du Petit Metris (Joseph Renou et fils): none declared 
Château Pierre-Bise:none declared
Pithon-Paillé: none declared 
Château de Plaisance (Guy Rochais): none declared
Château de Suronde: none declared

What can I say?

 

  

Real Wine Fair: London 17th - 18th March 2013

The dates for the 2013 Real Wine Fair are now out: Sunday 17th and Monday 18th March. The Sunday will be open to both the public and trade, while Monday will be trade only. 

The venue is the Tobacco Dock in London's Wapping. The nearest tube stations are Wapping (The Overground) and Shadwell (Overground and DLR). Hopefully this will be a much more agreeable venue than last year's Hitlerian bunker that Eric and Doug found near Holborn.  

Although they appeal to the same audience and similar wine producers The Real Wine Fair should not be confused with the RAW fair, which will be held in May and is organised by Isabelle Legeron MW. 

Douglas Wregg – high priest of natural wine 

and one of the organisers of the Real Wine Fair   

Demonstrating why wine isn't necessarily good for you!

Roger Kolbu (from Norway)@The Real Wine Fair

Roger demonstrating here that wine and wine tasting can have peculiar effects, especially if you are tasting in an underground bunker. It remains a mystery why The Real Wine Fair chose such an unnatural and non-wine friendly venue to show off natural wines. It is, however, undoubtedly well suited as a filmset for the remaking of the last days of Hitler hunkered down in Berlin or even a convention of moles.

If the protagonists of the two natural/authentic wine shows are keeping a tally, Isabelle Legeron and her RAW wiped the flor with the Real Wine Fair in terms of venue.

@RAWfair photos – part two

Peter Hahn (Vouvray) demonstrating why people make wine

James Millton of Millton Vineyards, who makes New Zealand's only serious Chenin Blanc as well as other good things (above and below)  

Julian Castagna (Castagna – Beechworth, Australia) – above and below

Michel Augé: Les Maisons Brulées – Touraine

Véronique Joly: Coulée de Serrant

Philippe Gourdon: Château Tour Grise, Le Puy Notre Dame, Saumur

Steve Daniel pouring Alvaro Espinoza's Viña Antiyal

Ryan's new iArms!

 It's a piece of cake! 

Some #RAW photos from the fair@Trumans, London

The RAW Fair in the Old Truman's Brewery

Despite the best efforts of (No Sunday) Transport for London and the difficulties of actually finding the right entrance the RAW fair attracted a good crowd today, especially by early afternoon. The space is big, good and light with plenty of room to move around.   

 Alexandre Bain: Pouilly-Fumé

 Amy Lillard, La Gramière: vin de table in the Rhône

Damien Laureau: Savennières

 Amy Lillard getting acquainted with top quality Chenin: 2006 Clos du Papillon 

from Domaine du Closel with Closel's owner Evelyne de Pontbriand

Peter Hahn, Le Clos de la Meslerie AC Vouvray
An American in Vouvray

 

Naturally business 

The globe orbiter Luiz Alberto arrives in Brick Lane 

Three friends around a spittoon inc Roger Kolbu and Luiz Alberto 

The middle is the message!

 Stare crazy with Vrazon's Gabriella and Ryan

 A wild ferment in the gents ......