Merlot

Since 2006, Iwo and Sarah have been making wine in Western Australia. In the beginning it was just a few barrels worth, but they now farm and make wine from 12 hectares of land. For them, it's all about natural farming. All about the grapes being able to express the land from whence they came, which is why they have focussed on organic and biodynamic farming from the get go.

After having studied wine and gained experience in California, Australia, and with Frank Cornelissen at Mount Etna in Silcily, Sam has returned to his homeland in Western Australia to make some super tasty natural wines. His first vintages (2015-2017) were made from grapes that he bought from his good friends at Si Vintners (whom we also love!), and Sam has just begun leasing his own farm in Margaret River. Sam likes cleanliness and perfect grape material, and his wines are a true expression of just that. No oak, no filtration, no sulphur at any point in the winemaking. Just pure fruit.

Sylvain produces very easy-drinking wine in the south-west of France. The 2,5 hectares are planted with Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. Sylvain works organically in the vineyards and without adding or taking anything away from the wine in the winery.

In an old bodega in the Parral Monestary in Nieva, Ismael Gozalo makes wines on seriously old pre-phylleoxera Verdejo vines.

The sandy soils of this area have protected the vines which date back to 1847.

Ismael also has parcels of Syrah, Merlot, Rufete, Mencía and Tempranillo, but it is definitely the Verdejo which takes center stage at the domaine.

Podere San Guiseppe, an estate in the South-Eastern corner of Montalcino was a sad place until the family of Stella Di Campalto purchased it in 1992. At once, Stella started to ressucitate the 5 ha of vines, which had been abandoned since the war. She turned her focus to organic farming in 1996, which inevitably evolved to biodynamics in the early 2000's.

Monsieur Sylvain Bock and his quest to make wine that is a triumphant display of grapes and their surroundings is inspiring. He wasn't born into winemaking, or at least he thought he wasn't, both of his parents were teachers. He later found out that his grandfather was a well known vigneron from Alsace which sealed his fate. Sylvain worked in other people's wineries for 10 years before establishing his own domaine BOCK in 2010 with just over 4ha in Alba la Romaine and Valvignières in the South of Ardèche.

Laureano Serres makes wines as natural as they come. After a career in IT, he moved back to his native Catalunya to work at the local wine cooperative, until his dreams of producing natural wines became too radical for the cooperative and they showed him the door. Happily for us, this prompted Laureano to start his own winery, making wines his way. He started out in his own cellar in El Pinell de Brai in Tarragona, and now makes a large range of wines with nothing added at all from his 6ha of low yielding vines.

The family domaine of Mas d'Intras has been farming grapes for four centuries, but it wasn't until the 1980's that Robert's family stopped selling their grapes to the local coop, which the family had helped establish. With that decision, Domaine Mas d'Intras was born. In the late nineties they recognised that their soil was suffering and they began to turn their attention to organic farming, acheiving Ecocert organic status in 2009.

Enigmatic and wild. Words for the person as well as the wines Pierre Rousse makes in Western Languedoc! With his 5 ha of vines, Pierre plants seemingly standard varieties Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, although the results are anything but standard. Pierre also produces a cidre 'Babiole' from local apple varieties. Truly bonkers juice from a truly bonkers man.

Jacques Broustet of Chateau Lamery does things a bit differently in Saint Pierre d'Aurillac, 20 miles south-east of Bordeaux. Not only is he one of the only vignerons in the region practising Biodynamics in his vineyard (certified 2006), he also refuses to filter, fine or add SO2 to his wines - which is a rare thing in a region where everything is controlled in a military fashion. With just 3 ha, production is tiny. L'Autrement is a blend of 25% of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. Grapes are hand-harvested and spend 9 months in small casks.