Raw, real or just natural? (Reflections on the Raw and real wine fairs of May 2012)

A brooding look from Alaverdi Monastery

So, London is sitting back and relaxing (baking in a heatwave no less), after possibly one of the busiest weeks in the annual wine calendar - ever. We had two "natural" wine fairs running back to back, and merging seamlessly into the four day London International Wine Fair (which I didn't attend). I've been trying to reflect on my personal position vis-a-vis "natural wines", and how that may have changed after two such major expositions of this developing movement.

First, the terminology. OK, I know as much as anyone that "natural wine" is a clumsy term, but I fear we're stuck with it. I'd like to talk about "low intervention" or "minimal intervention" winemaking, but it doesn't exactly trip off the tongue. And whilst I commend Isabel Legeron and Doug Wregg for coming up with two more potential descriptors, I suspect that neither will catch on amongst consumers.

Second, the wine fairs: In truth, I hugely enjoyed both the Real Wine Fair and the Raw…