Βy Gregory Michailos
Despite the fact that I am among those who probably describe themselves as wine experts, I have always thought that our world of wine is quite snobbish and pretentious. Don't get me wrong, but it's always about our big Ego. We love to be recognizable and to walk around shaking hands as if we were politicians, we like to impress with our deep knowledge, on every given occasion, and we try to prove - especially to ourselves - that we are an integral and somewhat important part of the wine community.
Nevertheless, there is something which is on the far side of what I just described: Natural Wine Fairs. The thing I truly love - besides the wines - about the so-called natural wine "movement", or whatever else you want to call it, is that nobody pays any attention to who you are, where you are from, what your opinion is, whether you are a Master of Wine or just someone who is tasting wine for the first time. In my point of view, this is democracy, and once you get over the first shock of someone spitting on the ground next to you, or the fact that you are tasting wine in a dark, underground, sometimes mouldy cellar, you begin to deeply enjoy this kind of "inappropriate" atmosphere. You also begin to love the rather mixed audience, which is made up of youngish hipsters intermingled with professionals in their suits coming from all corners of this planet, but most importantly, you enjoy the total lack of snobbery in the atmosphere.
It's difficult to put my first, ever, experience at natural wine fairs into words. I could simply say it was a "revelation"; a place where a whole new world opened up to my eyes, ready to be discovered and appreciated. I probably experienced the same feeling my nephew had felt when he unpacked his first Lego toy, a couple of years ago. I was at the epicenter of what many people consider as the spiritual home of organic, biodynamic and natural wines. I was wearing my comfortable sneakers, surrounded by fellow friends, quite ready for a marathon tasting of hundreds of wines. I was in Angers in the heart of the Loire...
I probably tasted a few dozen different wines during those three days in La Dive, and the two smaller associated fairs (Salon St Jean and Les Penitentes), and it is difficult to pick out just a few highlights. However, I could, at least, say that the following wines where among those which made me think that once people get hooked on natural wines, it is difficult to go back. It's a one way ticket to enjoyment...