The Morning Claret

Simon J Woolf & Friends on Wild and Wonderful Wines

Month: July 2017

Domäne Wachau - Riesling Amphora 2015
4 minute read

Backstage with Dömane Wachau – Riesling Amphora 2015

We’re in an age where it’s not just small artisan wineries experimenting with minimal intervention, low sulphur and extended skin contact in white wines. The big guys want to play too. And why not? When the results are as fascinating as Domäne Wachau’s amphora fermented Riesling, I’m all for it.

Bina 37 at night
3 minute read

Is Bina 37 Georgia’s most bizarre winery?

“Sorry, but this is absolutely nuts!”, says one member of our group during a visit to restaurant/apartment/winery Bina 37, and he’s merely stating what everyone else is thinking. We’re talking with Zura Natroshvili, a medical doctor turned traditional winemaker. Well, almost traditional. Most winemakers don’t install their cellars on the 8th floor of a city residential block.

No, I'm not a lover of mousiness
17 minute read

Are natural winemakers in denial about mousiness?

This is an updated and significantly longer version of an article which originally appeared in Issue 2/2017 of Meininger’s Wine Business International with additional input from Joseph di Blasi, and Geoff Cowey. And yes, another outing for that photo…. Imagine a Read more

5 minute read

Ten tasty orange treats at Cafe de Klepel

Tricky things these artisan-made natural wines. Some days they sing, others they sulk. I presented 17 orange wines to a large group of Dutch sommeliers back in May, and although there were gems, many of the classics just weren’t showing Read more