Simon J Woolf & Friends on Wild and Wonderful Wines
Why is it so difficult to talk about natural wine in Burgundy? Simon explores the increasingly blurred line between classical and natural techniques in the region.
Originally published February 2023 in Issue 3 of Fondata magazine.
Why you should choose organic, biodynamic and natural wines, as a response to the terrible events of 2020 and the pandemic. And just to inspire you, Simon selects five discoveries made in 2020 that put a big smile on his face and made him refill his glass.
The arrest of Valentina Passalacqua’s father, on charges of using illegal labour gangs (caporalato) has shocked the natural wine world – who were previously in love with Valentina and her wines. Simon J Woolf investigates and sets out the background and the context for this challenging affair.
Simon reports back from a typically exciting Raw fair London, full of new discoveries.
Simon is super impressed with Mathieu Deiss’s newish solo project Le Vignoble du Rêveur – and in particular three skin macerated white wines.
Wineries can soak up a lot of money – as per the popular industry joke “How do you make a million in wine? Answer: Start with two million”. The landscape is littered with vinous vanity projects created by wealthy industrialists, Read more
I love Champagne. But whenever I start talking about it, I fear being labelled elitist. But, but… Grower Champagne? And then there are those Champagne enthusiasts who think any other form of effervescent wine inferior. They huff and puff and Read more
I don’t know if personality can change a wine, but it can change the feel of a harvest. In September I worked on two vendange teams: two days with François Blanchard and five for Baptiste and Olivier Cousin. And though both Read more
To celebrate the launch of Simon’s Kickstarter campaign for his book Amber Revolution, here’s a German “orange” wine made from Riesling. German Riesling still has an image problem in the UK. And Germany is not the first place that comes to Read more
Cascina Corte’s Dolcetto di Dogliani Pirochetta vecchie vigne 2013 is not your typical Dolcetto. Read more to find out why.