On Saturday, August 27th, Eric Morain announced that he was leaving his job as a lawyer, disillusioned by the disturbing collapse of the judicial system as a whole. Justice loses one of its best lawyers. The natural wine world does as well.
From this point of view, losing Eric Morain is very, very, bad news. We cannot forget that Eric has led and won many battles and court cases with exemplary winemakers: Olivier Cousin, Emmanuel Giboulot, Alexandre Bain, Sébastien David, etc. Eric has always been there to support the natural wine movement and its activists (Raisin included) in the face of injustice. We would like to honour his excellence, his eloquence, his sense of justice and his integrity, which have made such a difference to so many. Not to mention his sense of humour, his compassion and his penmanship, which we hope to continue to follow on Twitter and elsewhere!
Because Eric remains one of the most fervent and brilliant representatives of natural wine, and gastronomy that goes with it. We wish him all the best for the future and we sincerely hope he will be happy in his next endeavours!
Alice Feiring, is a breath of fresh air in the often stuffy genre of ‘wine writing’. The James Beard Award winner and author of ‘Natural Wine for the People’, ‘Dirty Guide to Wine’, to name a few, is back with her newest book ‘To Fall in Love, Drink This’.
This book is a collection of insightful and entertaining personal stories, from her parents divorce, to serial killers, to lockdown. All beautifully told with humour, pain, romance, joy and of course wine. Each story is accompanied by an easy to understand wine take-away designed to answer the questions of everyday wine lovers.
‘Alice Feiring is a special sort of wine writer—the kind who dares to disagree with wine “experts,” and who believes wholeheartedly that the best wine writing is about life.’
Are you looking for a warm, cosy, welcoming bar with over 200 natural, biodynamic and organic wines to choose from? What about 80+ craft beers and farm ciders? Do you also want the option of being able to drink in or take away? Vin te Faire Boire in Nantes might just be the exact place you’ve been looking for!
Owners Manon and Antoine have created a bar that is a beautiful, mish-mash, of different pieces of furniture and artwork, a boho-chic design, which makes you feel right at home. You can even grab wine on tap, and a tasty tapas menu to pair with it.
Antoine is the sommelier, cavist, known as the ‘nose’ of the team. He knows what he sells inside and out, and he keeps no secrets. In fact, he loves sharing as much information as he can about each of the drinks they sell. Manon on the other hand holds together the creative side of the business. Creating a universe through her original graphic and visual design.
Vin te Faire Boire also regularly hosts meetings with winemakers, concerts, DJ sets, theatre, exhibits and stand up comedy. In short, it’s an exciting place to be in Nantes and definitely worth a visit!
If you would like to help a natural winemaker during the harvest season, now is your chance. Below, we have put together some information about some of the different winemakers that need help. Happy harvesting!
Bring your secateurs and good vibes, here we go again for another harvest at Mas del Ranq! We plan to start around the end of August (the start date is still very unclear because of the drought) for a period of about 3 weeks.
Daily organisation:
We start the day at 7am, at sunrise, and until 3:30pm max. We stop for a break and snack around 10am: homemade terrine, cheese, bread, jam, coffee, wine… a little water too! In the evening, we all eat together. Meals are provided by our chef: Hugues!
Required qualities: punctuality, motivation and a good mood. For the best organisation, we would really appreciate people that can stay until the end of the harvest!
We look forward to seeing you! If you wish to participate, please send us an email: [email protected]
See you soon! Laure and Seb
JP et Peggy Buronfosse:
2 La serpentine – La combe 39190 ROTALIER, France
Winegrowers in the Jura
We are looking for grape-pickers beginning the week of August 22nd, and for the following 3 weeks.
Payment: SMIC ( French minimum wage) + lunch. Possibility of accommodation in a dormitory or tent, and a kitchen available for the evenings.
CONTACT :
by mail [email protected] Peggy 06 66 27 38 00 + SMS or voice message Jean- Pascal 06 77 16 95 25 + SMS or Whats App We will study all offers to help us for a few days, or weeks…
P’tit Max, Guy Breton:
252 Rue Pasteur, 69910 Villié-Morgon, France
Oyé oyé
Harvesters,
A small estate (Guy Breton / p’ti Max) in Villié Morgon is looking for staff for the 2022 harvest, which will start on 25 August (give or take a couple of days), for a fortnight’s harvest (give or take a few glasses).
We still have 8 to 10 places available.
A snack is offered in the morning, and lunch will be prepared by our international chef Rico, a great chef if you rub him the right way, and autonomy in the evening.
Shower, toilet, washing machine and swimming pool (if you are well behaved) is available at the domain. Plus unlimited beer and wine taps (not cut with water!!!) if everyone works hard!
All amenities available in the village (200m from the domain): bank, tobacco shop, post office, grocery shop, bakery, butcher’s shop, bar, bar, bar.
A plot of land is available 1km from the domain, for trucks, Igloos, tents, yurts, teepees, caravans, I don’t mind, there is no accommodation possible on the domain. A shuttle will be available in the morning, and for the laziest in the evening, otherwise it’s a 10 minute walk, or a 20min drunken walk (getting some fresh air will do you good). This isn’t our home, another domain is lending us the land, so it goes without saying that you have to respect the place and take care of your dogs! Three dogs per person will probably be unmanageable.
The hours will depend on the weather, we only work in the morning if it’s too hot, otherwise all day.
Beginners accepted, if they come with a good spirit! Required qualities: good vibes, good mood, hardworking, music is a plus, team spirit is imperative. So: if you are motivated, if you are ready to give it all you’ve got and more! If you are NOT a bad drinker, if you want to cut and carry nice grapes, drink really good wine and make good friends…
You’re welcome!
And if you’re a girl it’s even better because we lack oestrogen! Contact me by email for more info [email protected]
Località Pragatto, Via Puglie, 12, 40056 Crespellano BO, Italie
Join us for an exhilarating harvest experience at Casino di Pragatto!
You can work with us as much as you like, and then relax by our pool.
Your efforts to help us will of course be rewarded!
Special offers including tastings, tours and the harvest experience, are available from 19th of August to the 4th of September. Contact us for more details: [email protected]
If you would like to join our harvesting team as a “real” job, then contact us at [email protected]
Strada Settevalli 669 Casenuove, 06129 Perugia PG, Italie
Cantina Margò is looking for two people, living in Pérouse or the surrounding areas, for the harvest season at the end of August until the end of September.
An organic wine estate in the Côteaux du Lyonnais is looking for grape pickers from late August to early September:
The vineyards are mainly located in Orliénas, we have the possibility to organise carpools from Lyon.
We are looking for dynamic and cheerful people for a joyful harvest. The harvest will start at the end of August (date to be confirmed) for a period of about 2 weeks.
Hours: 7am-2pm with a large snack offered in the morning. Salary: 11.50 € gross / hour. Bonus offered if you are present for the whole time. No accommodation is available. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
It’s time for another season at Kumpf & Meyer (Alsace), we’re recruiting for the harvest at the beginning of September! Here’s what’s going to happen to you for a month: you’ll have a sore back, sticky fingers, you’ll listen to weird music (including your own), you’ll quench your thirst with Bendorf on draught and natural wines from all over the place, you’ll enjoy the tasty goodness of Schtampfel, you’ll socialise (and even meet your true love, yes, it’s already happened), you’ll learn the Moselle and/or Alsatian accent (yes, there’s a big difference), you’ll have a race at the fête des vendanges (we have the photos). ..
For the technical details, you can put up a truck or a tent, we provide a shower, toilet and cooker. Join the adventure by calling us at +33 633139526, +33 619903352 or write to us at [email protected]
Domaine Dandelion
5 Place de l’Église, 21190 Mavilly-Mandelot
Hello !
We are Morgane and Christian from Domaine Dandelion, a small 3ha estate in the Hautes Cotes de Beaune in Burgundy. We are looking for grape pickers from September 10th to 18th (the exact dates might change slightly).
Depending on the temperature, it is most likely that we won’t harvest in the afternoons. A snack is provided each morning and lunches are offered, even if we won’t pick in the afternoon. Sleeping accommodation is limited but possible.
Do not hesitate to send us an email if you need more information: [email protected]
Elio Sandri is one of the guru’s of Barolo. He has an amazing wine culture, respect for his land and the ability to explain all aspects of Langhe wines, with simplicity.
Elio is an artisan producer of Barbera, Nebbiolo, Barolo and Dolcetto in one of the most renowned areas of Piedmont, where unfortunately there are still too few winemakers who base their work on tradition and the search to enhance their terroir by reducing interventions in the vineyard and in the cellar to a minimum.
He welcomed us to the winery on a cold mid-April afternoon with a smile, a glass in hand, ready to treat us to a tasting and with a great desire to tell us about his idea of wine from the Langhe, without frills, but with a great deal of elegance.
Elio began dedicating himself to wine when he was still very young (his first harvest was at the age of 16) and he soon took over the reins of his family winery, Cascina Disa, which was founded in 1965 in the hamlet of Perno in Monforte d’Alba.
Cascina Disa has a long winemaking tradition: at the beginning of the 15th century there was already a settlement of monks who produced wine there.
The vineyards are planted all around the winery and Elio’s approach is completely natural: no herbicides, pesticides or chemical fertilizers are used, which break the balance between the vines and the land. The rows of vines are completely covered with wild herbs and during the growing season Elio only uses copper and sulphur to protect the plants. He uses no more than 700/g of copper per hectare per year however and he tries to use the bare minimum quantities of sulphur in the vineyard because he feels the effect can be felt in the wine. He prefers using orange essential oils to fight mildew.
Near the vineyard there is a dense wooded area that is preserved in order to provide a microclimate and biodiversity that he says is very important for his vines.
The cellar is built under the house and partly underground in the hillside: physically living above the cellar allows the winemaker to build a very intimate relationship with his wines.
Manual harvesting allows the best possible selection of the grapes that will be pressed in the search for maximum quality. The spontaneous fermentation contributes in a fundamental way to express the peculiarities of the territory and takes place in large old oak barrels and in cement wine vats, but Elio also experiments with small amphoras.
Time is the central theme of Elio’s work: wine needs patience and respect to be understood and exalted.
Elio is very careful with every manual operation in the vineyard, it is always a question of when, where and how. No year is the same, the vineyard has to be understood, just as each vintage has to be interpreted and, consequently, the work in the cellar also takes place with different timings and methods.
Even for Barolo Perno Vigna Disa, the top of the range, the ageing time in the barrels often changes: the minimum for the Barolo regulations, is 18 months, but there is no maximum limit for the time spent in contact with wood, in order to preserve both the integrity of the fruit and the longevity.
Elio let us taste some of his Langhe Nebbiolo, Barbera d’Alba, Barolo and Ciman, his Nebbiolo vinified and aged in cement, but with the same timings as a Barolo.
A visit to Elio’s is one of the best experiences you can have in the Langhe winegrowing area for a natural wine lover. You can find him on the Raisin app now.
