The Morning Claret

Simon J Woolf & Friends on Wild and Wonderful Wines

natural wine

Oronce de Beler with his Percheron draft horse in 2009 (he ceased this activity in 2015). Photo courtesy La Maison Romane.
26 minute read

Uncomfortable bedfellows? Burgundy and natural wine

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.

How to survive La Dive Bouteille - Par Ici Sign - Photo (C) Simon J Woolf
6 minute read

How to survive La Dive

Hannah has the essential tips for you if you’re a wine professional and you want to keep body and soul together at La Dive Bouteille and its spin-off wine fairs in the Loire this winter.

7 minute read

Glass Half Empty

Simon hates bad glassware, and does not understand why it’s so prevalent at natural wine venues.

Van and grape disaster - Photo (C) Hannah Fuellenkemper
5 minute read

Amazing opportunity, cellar hand wanted

Want a job working for an up-and-coming winery located somewhere in France? Hannah Fuellenkemper has the most amazing opportunity for you…. possibly.

Raw Berlin 2021 - Photo courtesy Isabelle Legeron
6 minute read

Was there Georgian wine at Raw Berlin 2021?

A brief report on RAW Fair Berlin 2021, which went ahead despite the odds stacked against it. A small crisis with a missing shipment of Georgian wine was also resolved swiftly on the day.

5 minute read

Four wines and a wormhole

Hannah thinks she’s opened some kind of portal by calling up memories of 2020’s four most momentous wines. And we’re not going argue!