The Morning Claret

Simon J Woolf & Friends on Wild and Wonderful Wines

organic

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.

Anna Addison and her bottles
4 minute read

A tale of two Georgias: Nine Oaks Estate

Nine oaks is a newly created vineyard and winery in Kakheti Georgia. Despite not having any qvevris when they made their first vintage in 2016, the results are authentic and impressive.

Rennersistas - Chardonnay 2015 © Taka Takeuchi
4 minute read

Rennersistas – Neusiedlersee Chardonnay 2015

As Amber Revolution approches its second stretch goal on Kickstarter, what better way to celebrate than by reviewing another orange wine? This time we’re heading to Austria to revisit a producer already mentioned briefly on this site: The Rennersistas Chardonnay 2015. I first Read more

Tauss vinyeards in Southern Styria
3 minute read

A fiery Roter Traminer from Tauss

I’ve featured wines from several of the Schmecke das Leben producers in this series, but not Tauss until now. Roland and Alice Tauss are perhaps the least well known winery in the group, partly due to their very small size – there’s a mere 6 hectares of vines at their bucolic estate in Southern Styria.

Gut Oggau wines - Photo Simon Woolf
6 minute read

Bucking the trend at Gut Oggau

Somewhere, out there on the internet, the discussion rages on about natural wines. To true believers, it’s the one and only righteous path, to sceptics, nothing more than a farcical or even fraudulent movement. Regular readers of The Hosemaster have Read more

Strohmeier road sign
4 minute read

One year of skin contact – Strohmeier Wein der Stille 2013

Regular readers will have noticed I’ve featured a few wines in this slot that merely flirt with the orange wine category. So to end the first year of these orange segments, here’s an all-out, serious contender made with 12 months of maceration: Strohmeier’s Wein Der Stille 2013, from Southern Styria, Austria