Events, Festivals and Exhibitions

With the issue of sustainability very much to the fore of the food and drink industry, London’s RAW WINE fair is the place to learn all about wines that are good for the environment and better for us. The fair takes place at The Store X in Covent Garden from 8 to 9 March, with satellite events on 4 and 11 March.

Wine should have soul, and be an authentic expression of place. This is the philosophy of Isabelle Legeron MW, the founder of RAW WINE. She is opposed to the industrialised, big-brand, “nothing-but-alcoholic-grape-juice” wines that sell themselves with “imagery and suggestion”.

What is RAW WINE?

All the wines at the RAW WINE fair will be natural, low intervention, farmed organically or biodynamically, harvested by hand and made without excessive use of processing and additives. This year’s wine event in London has more than 120 natural wine producers from around the world and alongside the strongholds of France and Italy, a trio of northern European producers will feature for the first time.

There is a wine producer from the Netherlands who has farmed organically for decades and eliminated all copper and sulphur usage from the vineyard, an urban, natural wine maker from Finland and a Danish distillery that crafts sell-out seasonal spirits and was described by Wired as “the Noma of wonderful booze”.

Legeron is a trailblazer of the natural wine movement with sell-out fairs in New York, LA, Montreal and Berlin. She says, “Wine has never been made with so many pesticides, additives, preservatives and processes. Winemakers at RAW WINE who respect life above ground and in the soil care passionately about their wines, they ensure their vines are able to absorb key nutrients and it shows in the quality of the final product. By buying organic, biodynamic and natural wine we’re helping to protect the planet.”

#RAWWINEWEEK

RAW WINE London is the highlight of #rawwineweek, taking place between March 4 and 11. This is a nationwide celebration of natural wines with tutored tastings, glass offers and winemaker dinners. Throughout the week restaurants, bars, wine shops, distributors and importers will all be hosting events to showcase growers exhibiting at the fair.

To find out more about RAW WINE Week

For more information on the London wine event, click here.

Words by Robert Spellman.