ferment – Welcome to Wine Idealism…

April 11, 2014December 11, 2014

Avril Lavigne et Le Vin Naturel – Is Natural Wine a Fad?

1978, and a young Morgon winemaker named Marcel Lapierre is experimenting in Beaujolais with no-sulphur winemaking, from grapes grown organically. In doing so, Lapierre along with a few local cohorts, had unwittingly caused the modern genesis of vin naturel… or natural wine. Of course this didn’t happen overnight, but soon enough, with the help of some Parisian sommeliers, … Continue reading Avril Lavigne et Le Vin Naturel – Is Natural Wine a Fad?

April 4, 2014July 3, 2014

The House in the Sun – Te Whare Ra, Marlborough NZ

“With the way wine seems to be going, I think you need to be a winegrower, not just a viticulturist, or winemaker,” says Jason Flowerday, winegrower, and part owner with his wife Anna, of Te Whare Ra (‘te fahree rah’ TWR), in New Zealand’s most famous wine region, Marlborough. Jason and Anna purchased TWR in 2003, … Continue reading The House in the Sun – Te Whare Ra, Marlborough NZ

July 12, 2013July 12, 2013

The Rugged Beauty of The Barossa Valley – Ruggabellus Wines

Abel Gibson grew up surrounded by wine but was never really interested in it. His father, Rob Gibson, was senior viticulturist and winemaker at Penfolds, where Abel spent his days running through cobweb riddled cellars and riding in the grower’s trucks from the weigh-bridge around to the crusher. But, the bottom line style of winemaking at … Continue reading The Rugged Beauty of The Barossa Valley – Ruggabellus Wines