News / natural wine

Ballymaloe Grain Store was the venue for our ‘Real wines – Celebrating the Artisan growers’ presentation last Sunday. Pascal Rossignol of Le Caveau was joined by Eric Narioo  owner of Les Caves de Pyrene, a UK wine importer championing the cause of Natural wines and his wife Anna Martens, owner/winemaker of Mount Etna winery Vino di Anna.  Once again, we greatly appreciated the impeccable organisation of Ballymaloe, lead by sommelier Colm McCan and his team. We presented 8 wines, each of them bursting with individuality, charm and life. Answering a question during the presentation Eric Narioo predicted that in 20 years, most wines would be produced naturally, given the overwhelming enthusiasm with which an entire new generation of winegrowers around the World are embracing these methods. The demand is certainly growing, with the ‘natural wine bar scene’ in major cities such as New York, London or Paris still in full swing and with more and more restaurants allowing greater space to Artisan wines on their lists. In effect, Natural wines may never replace conventional wines, but they certainly offer a brilliant alternative to wine drinkers in search of emotion and authenticity,  and as in the words of Patricia Nelson recently posted on Slow Food website

‘In the end, there is definitely room to accommodate both markets. Natural wines counter what seems to be increasing homogeneity, and it is heartening to see producers and retailers embracing craft practices while creating products that do not present an ever-pervasive sameness.’

Wines We Presented At Ballymaloe Grain Store

• ‘Pink bulles’ Pet Nat Gamay rosé by Jean Maupertuis (Auvergne, France)
• Vino Bellotti Bianco 2011, Cascina Degli Ulivi (Piemonte, Italy)
• Vouvray ‘la Dilettante’ 2011, Pierre et Catherine Breton (Loire Valley, France)
• Vitovska Amphora 2007, Vodopivec (Friuli, Italy)
• Cheverny Rouge 2011, Clos Tue-Boeuf (Loire Valley, France)
• Vino di Anna 2011, Eric Narioo and Anna Martens (Etna, Sicily, Italy)
• Peza do Rei 2010, Adega Cachin (Ribera Sacra, Spain)
• Villalobos ‘Wild Vineyards’ Carignan Reserve 2010 (Colchagua Valley, Chile)

Natural wines, low intervention wines, artisan wines, real wines, call them what you will, truth is, we love them and can't get enough of them. From the winegrowers point of view, producing natural wines is as much a professional occupation as it is a way of life. What we like so much about them is that they truly reflect their plot of land, the grapes and their vintage. These wines feel alive, and they probably are since they come from vineyards free of any chemicals, with roots deeply implanted in life-bursting soils. In the winery, only the healthiest fruits made it to the vats, no excessive manipulations took place, natural, local yeasts were responsible for the fermentation, with an 'as long as it takes' approach, and no modern additives were used if only in some case, a dash of sulphur (so2) at bottling stage. Good natural wines will showcase fruit purity, energy and balance. Typically, they will have lower alcohol level, be flavour-ripe yet have a balancing natural acidity and/or tannins which make ideal food partners. Here is a list (far from exhaustive) of the natural wines you can find in our wine shop and website: Cascina Degli Ulivi, Bellotti Rosso – Dolcetto – Barbera Cascina Degli Ulivi, Bellotti Bianco Cortese Pierre and Catherine BRETON Bourgueil Trinch! Frantz Saumon, Montlouis Minérale + Pithon-Paillé, Anjou Blanc Mozaik Chenin Blanc Clos du Tue-Boeuf Cheverny rouge Clos des Grillons, Cotes du Rhone Blanc Gran Cerdo Tempranillo Alfredo Maestro Tejero, Vina Amalte – Castilla y Leon Adega Cachin, Peza do Rei, Ribera Sacra Coste Piane Prosecco di Valdobbiadene ‘Naturale’ Villalobos- The Wild Vineyards – Carignan Reserve Louis-Antoine Luyt, Cinsault ‘Quellu’ Bobar Syrah, Yarra Valley            

This coming May Bank Holiday week-end, the Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine will bring some of the world’s best known chefs, critics, commentators, kitchen gardeners, foragers and wine experts to East Cork. The festival will be held at Ballymaloe House and Ballymaloe Cookery School. In addition to the usual festival activities (readings, talks, panel discussions) there will be demonstrations, tastings, producer visits, foraging expeditions, lunches and dinners. The objective of the Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine is to bring together a wide, varied and international group of cookery writers, journalists, bloggers and critics whilst also offering a varied programme for professional and non-professional food enthusiasts from Ireland and abroad. We are delighted to be involved in what promises to be one absolutely brilliant week-end! see the full list of events here: http://litfest.ie/ and the wine events here: http://www.ballymaloe.ie/things-to-do/wine-events