London 2020
08 Mar to 09 Mar 2020 | #rawwineLDN
Speakers’ Corner
10 & 11 March 2019 | #rawwineLDN | #SpeakersCorner
Food for thought. A collection of talks & tutored tastings taking place at the London fair, all free with your ticket. Please book your spot by clicking on the links below. Any spaces still remaining on the day of the fair will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis so make sure you turn up early to avoid disappointment if you haven’t pre-booked a spot. We’re delighted to have partnered with some of the UK’s top low-intervention organic, biodynamic & natural wine importers for this edition of Speakers’ Corner. See below for more details. |
Sunday, 8 March 2020
12:00 – 13:00 |
The Character of Chateau Musar – observing vintage variation across three decadesA talk-tasting with Elliott O’Mara (Chateau Musar), in conversation with David Harvey (Raeburn Fine Wines). The Hochar family’s Chateau Musar was ‘discovered’ at the Bristol Wine Fair by Master of Wine, Michael Broadbent back in 1979, and rapidly rose to prominence. In some ways the original ‘cult classic cabernet’ (blend), Serge Hochar’s Musar stood true to itself in a wine world where all was about to change. The vines are grown at altitude in the Bekaa Valley, around 1000m for the reds, and 1500m for the ungrafted whites. The farming is long term practising-organic, now certified. Yeasts are ambient, elevage long, SO2 modest. The resulting wines become known for their power, complexity and age worthiness. Now run the third generation of the Hochar family, Chateau Musar’s wines continue to freely exhibit the characteristics of each vintage, whilst maintaining their unmistakable house style. Join Musar’s Elliott O’Mara and Raeburn Wines’ David Harvey to taste back through 30 years of Musar’s 90 year history. To book a space, please contact Elliott O’Mara. Tasting:
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13:30 – 14:30 |
Digging Deep – Understanding Californian TerroirA panel discussion and tasting led by Abe Schoener (The Scholium Project), Matt Naumann (Newfound Wines) and Kyle Harmon (Ancestrel Wines). Moderated by Isabelle Legeron MW. Like many new world vineyard areas, California is sometimes treated internationally as a generic block defined above all by sun and sea. But how can a land mass that is 25% longer than France be generic? Join us for a look at the serious side of the Golden State, exploring its diversity and finesse through a tasting of three very different wines from three very different places. This is the chance to get to grips with the defining characteristics of some of its most successful terroirs, and explore the broad brushstrokes that distinguish north from south. This talk-tasting will feature two Californian producers, Matt Naumann (Newfound Wines) and Abe Schoener (The Scholium Project), and Kyle Harmon (Ancestrel Wines), a UK importer from California who is also a close friend of Californian natural wine legend Tony Coturri. The trio will share their experiences and wines, and take you deep beneath the surface of this rugged western state to help you piece together the individuality of California’s terroirs. To book a space, please contact Martino Bosco. With grateful thanks to the California Wine Institute for their support. |
15:00 – 16:00 |
Pierre Frick Retrospective – An Archive Tasting of one of Natural Wine’s GreatsA talk-tasting featuring Jean-Pierre Frick in conversation with Doug Wregg from Les Caves de Pyrène, the UK’s largest importer of natural wine. Jean-Pierre Frick is a true original, an Alsatian vigneron with fascinating and provocative philosophical and political insights into the psychology of tasting, what is real and natural, what is energy, what is biodynamics, what is terroir and appellation. Deeply invested in his local culture, he brings a wider perspective to bear, for he is not only a farmer, but also a scientist, a natural philosopher and someone concerned for the future of man and the planet. His wines are profound and subtle, mutable yet powerful, with the capacity to age beautifully. With Les Caves de Pyrène’s Doug Wregg, Jean-Pierre will guide us through a tasting of some rare older vintages, and discuss the ideas that underpin his particular wine philosophy. Doug Wregg is a director of Les Caves de Pyrène, a UK importer and distributor specialising in artisan wines from organic, biodynamic and natural producers. As well as being their buyer for central Europe and the US, he writes a twice weekly blog, and last year published two books – The History of an Unusual Wine Company in 10.5 Chapters and The Real Alternative Wine Glossary. To book a space, please contact Martino Bosco. Tasting:
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Monday, 9 March 2020
10:30 – 11:30 |
Frank Cornelissen Masterclass: Single Vineyards of Mt. Etna’s North ValleyA talk-tasting featuring Frank Cornelissen in conversation with David Harvey (Raeburn Fine Wines). Frank Cornelissen remains one of the most (in-)famous wine producers in the world. He was one of the first to bridge the natural and the fine wine worlds, indeed many – even in the conventional wine world – know him for his Susucaru range, the wine that broke wine-searcher.com in 2016. Yet Frank has also made single vineyard, aka cru wines since 2001, which he has steadily expanded. By 2016, 6 sites were bottled. Why make them? What’s the difference between Susucaru & Munjebel cru series? What does Frank think about SO2? We will taste wines which illustrate these questions. David Harvey of Raeburn Fine Wines will co-host. David worked for Frank on Etna in 2004, where he coined the term ‘orange wine’ just as the early versions of the renaissant genre were hitting the market. Since then he has written a column for The World of Fine Wine, contributed to The Oxford Companion to Wine (4th Ed.). He publishes timelines of the history of certification, publication and cooperation in the natural-organic-biodynamic spectrum. He is on the advisory panel for the Sustainable Wine Forum. For David, natural-spectrum producers must have the potential to deal with the technical challenges of bottling low/no sulphite wines with quality & consistency. To book a space, please contact David Harvey. Tasting: Magma ® 2017 |
12:00 – 13:00 |
Mezcal, the last wild spiritA talk-tasting journey with Michael Sager (of Sager + Wilde and Fare fame) and Marcis Dzelzainis, who together created El Destilado. Discover and taste through some of the last raw spirits, which Michael Sager and Marcis Dzelzainis source directly from small and independent growers and producers in Mexico. Learn why terroir in spirits can and should matter, and understand the salient similarities between natural wine and agave spirits. To book a space, please contact Martino Bosco. |
13:30 – 14:30 |
Pushing the Boundaries of Taste with Empirical SpiritsA conversation and tasting with Chris Stewart, head of research & development at Empirical Spirits, and Kieran Morris, Staff Writer at Culture Trip. Join Chris Stewart of the category-defying, Copenhagen-based distillery Empirical Spirits in conversation with journalist Kieran Morris. Empirical blends innovative distillation techniques, fermentation and global ingredients to create new discoveries in spirits and beyond. They will discuss the rise of craft distilleries, the importance of quality ingredients, and how initial ideas about techniques or flavours are ultimately turned into spirits. Get an inside look, and taste, at how Empirical is re-thinking flavour, upcycling ingredients from their process and taking an overall unprecedented approach to the distillation process. To book a space, please contact Lizzie Noonan. |
15:00 – 16:00 |
Getting Under the Skin of some of Italy’s Lesser-Known GrapesTutored tasting lead by Vini Barraco, Raína, I Cacciagalli, Barbacàn, Dalle Ore, Abbia Nòva, and moderated by Andrea Scaramuzza, Vi.Te. Forget international grapes, the age of autochthonous varieties is upon us. These are varieties intimately connected to their terroirs, having evolved with the intricacies and individuality of their native ecosystems for extended periods of time. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of them worldwide, but in terms of sheer numbers, Italy certainly takes the crown (in Europe at least). Home to over 350 varieties officially recognised by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, it is also believed to boast a further 500 or so that have been documented throughout the country. Join us for a unique look into some of its most obscure, under-rated grapes in this tutored tasting of 6 wines lead by 6 growers from Vi.Te (Vignaioli e Territori) wine producers association. By the end of the session you’ll be able to distinguish a catarratto from a falanghina or garganega, and a chiavennasca from a cesanese or sagrantino. Welcome to the wonderful world of grapes! To book a space, please contact Martino Bosco. |