The Raw Deal

For an unparalleled tasting of low-intervention organic, biodynamic and natural wines, look to Raw Wine

- Joyce Huang

Over two days in May this year, more than 150 wine producers from across Europe and the Americas—some from as far away as Chile— gathered at the historic Markthalle Neun (Market Hall Nine) in Berlin, Germany for the 14th edition of Raw Wine fair. Founded in London in 2012 by Isabelle Legeron MW, Raw Wine showcases artisans of low-intervention organic, biodynamic, and natural wines, and brings together importers, trade professionals and wine aficionados who like to discover and drink them.

FINDING RAW

A fierce champion of the organic, biodynamic, and natural wine cause, Legeron’s impetus for setting up a wine fair dedicated to these wines and artisans stem from her experiences growing up in a family of vignerons in the Cognac region of France. Having worked on the family’s vineyards, she witnessed firsthand how the introduction of chemicals via weed killers, pesticides and fertilisers—then feted to aid in farming—adversely affected the terroir, stripping away the essence and vitality of the soils. Subsequently, during her foray as a wine consultant in London, she became disillusioned with the commercial business side of the wine trade. She laments, “I went into the world of wine because I wanted to go back to nature. I was hoping to meet farmers but instead I met businessmen in suits. That’s when I realised that the world of wine is like any other business: Dominated by industry.”

It was while making a television show called Journey into Wine that Legeron started meeting vignerons who were real farmers working the land, and who were making wines with low-intervention and minimal additives. “I decided to only work with these wines because their producers were passionate people I wanted to spend time with. I realised there was no event in London where one can meet these artisans, so I thought I’ll organise it,” Legeron recounts.