Quite by accident I stumbled upon the announcement of an upcoming natural wine tasting in Oakland, California on March 12, 2017. The event, called The Second Brumaire, will be held at the Starline Social Club from 12 – 5 pm, is open to the public and costs $20 to attend. Below is a list of wineries from Europe and the U.S. that will be pouring their wine at the event. There will be food as well.
You may or may not be aware of the category of wine called natural wine. Among wine professionals it is an idea embraced by some and criticized by others. Critics complain about the lack of a standardized definition for natural wines and their sometimes “funky” taste described as faulty or as an excuse for poor winemaking. Proponents recognize natural wines as unique, produced from grapes grown following organic or biodynamic practices and produced without the addition of yeast, color enhancers or clarifying agents (to name just a few).
I have no expertise with regard to natural wines and most of what I know about them I have learned from reading about the experiences of others. I have tasted only a few natural wines, certainly not enough to make a judgement about them as a whole. But, I am very curious about this category of wine. Organic farming practices and the elimination of additives are elements I look for in the food I eat. I prefer to eat food that is as unprocessed as possible. Why not the wine I drink?
For me, the best way to learn about wine is by tasting. With over 40 wineries pouring their natural wines at The Second Brumaire I expect to taste widely enough get a very good idea of what natural wines are like. Funky, flawed, individual…I will decide for myself. I can hardly wait.
Cheers!
ABSENTEE WINERY
ALFREDO MAESTRO
AMBYTH ESTATE
BICHI
BOW & ARROW
BROC CELLARS
CLOS SARON
CÔTE DES CAILLOUX
COTURRI WINERY
DOMAINE BOBINET
DOMAINE DE L’ECU
ESCODA-SANAHUJA
FINCA PARERA
GOYO GARCIA
HARDESTY
HATTON DANIELS
HOXIE
J. BRIX
LA CLARINE FARM
LA LUNOTTE
LA ONDA
LES CAZOTTES
LES FAVERELLES
LO-FI WINES
MANOIR DE LA TETE ROUGE
MENDALL
METHODE SAUVAGE
MINIMUS
OLD WORLD WINERY
ORIOL ARTIGAS
PAIN & GLORY CELLARS
PURITY WINE
RUTH LEWANDOWSKI
SCAR OF THE SEA
SELVADOLCE
SONOMA MOUNTAIN WINERY
SOT DE L’ANGE
STIRM WINE CO.
SÉBASTIEN DAVID
SWICK WINES
THEE & THOU
