Do You Know What's in Your Wine

Monday, June 16th, 2014

Over the last 50 years, winemaking has become ever more processed, controlled and unnatural. Blanket crop-spraying in vineyards, high levels of sulphites along with more than 50 other additives are added to 99.9% of the wines we drink and you'll find very few of these details mentioned on the labels. So why are we concerned what's in our food, but not our wine?

There is an alternative. Natural wine is wine made as nature intended with grapes that are farmed organically or biodynamically and with minimum intervention in the winery. Wine that is basically good, old-fashioned fermented grape juice.

And there's no one that knows them better than their standard bearer, Isabelle Legeron MW, who is at the forefront of this growth in awareness.

Find out why we should be paying more attention with Isabeele Legeron's new book - Natural Wine.

As crusader for the natural wine movement, she has presented her own show on the Travel Channel, acts as adviser to several leading restaurants and has set-up the hugely successful annual natural wine fair - RAW. Just as the craft beer movement has taken off across the globe, the demand for natural wine has exploded over the last couple of years, and looks set to go from strength to strength.

Natural Wine is split into three parts. Part one examines the definition of natural wine, looking at The Vineyard, The Cellar, Taste, Misconceptions and Health. Part two explores the Who, Where and When, providing details of the Artisans, the Origins of the Movement and where you can find and buy natural wine. Finally, part three features information and tasting notes on a large variety of natural wines, helping you to discover natural wine for yourself.

I'm incredibly excited about releasing a book on natural wine. I've dedicated my life to raising awareness about them, since it is the only wine I drink now. I want people to know about the rubbish that goes into making so many of the wines on our shelves, but even more than that I want them to know that it doesn't have to be that way. There are amazing wines out there that are so, so much better in every way."

NATURAL WINE: An introduction to organic and biodynamic wines made naturally by Isabelle Legeron is published by CICO Books. Priced at £16.99 it is available in July from all good bookshops or call 01256 302699

At this year's RAW in London, Your Source discovered three great sulphite-free wine producers, which means more choice, with outstanding quality and flavour for anyone who gets the hangover before the night is out and has a stuffy nose from consuming sulphites in their wine.