Author Archive

Call It Amber

On May 28th the highly anticipated amber wine documentary Call it Amber by director Andraž Fistravec, and producer Vida Kaučič of Studio Alp premiered to the world in Koper, Slovenia, in conjunction with the Orange Wine Festival.

Marcel de Cocq attended the event and covered the experience for us:

With the enjoyment of the warm Adriatic coastal atmosphere, the release of the movie took place in Gledališče Koper Teatro, in Koper’s historic scenic town center. Sensationally it was like a true gala premiere, but instead of having Hollywood stars, it was a delighted festive gathering of honorable Amber Wine icons, of which many are featured in the film.

Present among many others were: Saša and Suzanna Radikon, Dario Prinčič, Movia, Josko Renčel, Valter Kramar, Burja, Šumenjak, JNK, Gordia, Rojac, Zaro, Draga Miklus, Tamara Podversic and from Georgia Giorgi Natenadze.

It was an honor to attend the event and to see the first public presentation of the project which became a beautifully passionately produced document of great importance that gives unique insight and understanding while telling the fundamental history of amber wines.

The really informative, smart, educational and approachable production was exciting, captivating and joyful to watch, which with subtle typical humoristic personality became a well, creatively designed, able amalgamation of portraits of pioneers of the amber wine renaissance.

Needless to say, Simon J Woolf the author of Amber Revolution was among the guests who played a key role in the documentary and its creation which in great extent became a beautiful film adaptation of his inspiring book.

On a personal note I would like to pay tribute to Simon’s work and emphasize how Amber Revolution has been of significant influence in a monumental altering phase of life, when the book was released and I was at the beginning of my journey through the world of natural wine.

Together with many wines discovered, reading the book was an eye opening, perspective changing experience and therefore it was a real pleasure seeing the endeavors of everyone involved in Call it Amber pridefully take shape on the screen !

Text by Marcel de Cocq

Photos by Call it Amber

Call It Amber - Film premier natural wine

Call It Amber - Film premier natural wine

Call It Amber - Film premier natural wine

Call It Amber - Film premier natural wine

Call It Amber - Film premier natural wine

Call It Amber - Film premier natural wine

Call It Amber - Film premier natural wine

Call It Amber - Film premier natural wine

Marcel de Cocq Joins Raisin’s Network of Ambassadors

We are pleased to announce Marcel de Cocq will join our network of Raisin ambassadors.

As one of the leading natural wine advocates on Instagram, Marcel shares his passion for natural wine on his blog @marcel.de.cocq. He takes his audience on an adventurous journey of discovery through focussed and informative wine reviews. At home, and while traveling, he highlights wine bar and restaurant hotspots yet also tells the stories of wine growers while visiting their cellars.

Being based in Amsterdam, he will help us focus on the Dutch natural wine scene and also participate as a content creator for the Raisin community.

Marcel de cocq Raisin Natural Wine

Marcel de Cocq instagram natural wine Raisin

We are hiring a Senior Python Developer!

senior python developer raisin natural wine job

We are hiring a Senior Python Developer who also loves natural wine. Do you know anyone who might be interested? 

 
➜ CONTEXT:
 
For the past 6 years, design and specs have been created internally and then put into motion by contractors, outside of the company. In order to control and increase the quality of the app, and our upcoming features, we think it’s time we hire our own Senior Python developer. We’re looking for a skilled and experienced profile who can provide the best of both worlds: in-house development management and outsourced development flexibility.
 
➜ ABOUT THE ROLE:
 
We plan on expanding across multiple products in the future. We are looking for a Senior Python developer to build these functional and efficient server-side applications.
 
Senior Python Developer responsibilities will include; participating in all phases of the software development lifecycle, coaching contractors and junior developers. If you’re a seasoned developer with a love for back-end technologies and natural wine, we’d like to meet you!
 
Your ultimate goal is to create high-quality products that meet our customer needs.
 
#pythondeveloper #remotework #naturalwine

Le Conciliabule, Natural Wine in Toronto

Charles Boggio and Manon Tournayre have brought a small piece of France over to Toronto! It’s called Le Conciliabule and it’s a place where they share their passion for artisanal baking and of course, natural wine.

Manon was first introduced to Natural Wine by her grandparents who owned a wine shop called Cave Vins sur Vins in Ardeche. While Charles discovered it while studying in Lyon. His philosophy was that any good table needed both bread and wine on it, so of course baking and natural wine became his passions.

Le Conciliabule is a Neo-Bistro/Bakery and wine shop. They sell freshly baked french patisserie, natural wine and they organize tasting menu events several times a month. In the summer their patio is open and they also serve brunch every day and a more elaborate menu on the weekends. Of course you can also buy their delicious breads, local craft beers, sake & coffee.

Le Conciliabule was created to be a place where people can gather, speak freely and have fun around good food and good wine. Good vibes are the priority.

The good news is that their good vibes are spreading! They are opening a second location in Cabbage town early this summer. It will have a similar concept but a bigger space where they will offer new items like cheese, curd, meat, olive oils, honey, soaps, wine glasses, decanters, and more… Everything you need! Find Le Conciliabule on Raisin now and keep an eye out for their new location, coming soon!

Le Conciliabule natural wine toronto

Le Conciliabule natural wine toronto

Le Conciliabule natural wine toronto

Le Conciliabule natural wine toronto

Le Conciliabule natural wine toronto

CAV. a New Natural Wine Shop in Mallorca

CAV. is a new natural wine shop located in the Sa Gerreria area of Palma de Mallorca old town.

Owners Charlie & Lauren spent 10 years between London and New York working and studying all areas of the food and wine industry, from distribution, to making wine and everything in between. Then in 2020 they decided to move to Mallorca and make their own wine under the name JUGO VINS.

However, making wine takes time, and while their hard work was in tanks fermenting, they realized they needed a place to find their favourite Natural Wines on the island. And so CAV. was born. A place filled with wines that Charlie & Lauren love to drink.

The wines that sit on the shelves are from all around the world but they follow the same methodology of respecting nature first, which allows for minimal intervention in the winery. The bottles mostly come from vineyards tended by hand, farmed without the use of chemicals, never fined or filtered. This allows for the creation of expressive wines that are true to their provenance and reflect the growing season of that year. It is no secret that natural wine is harder to make, more laborious, requiring skill and craftsmanship which allows for less additives to be added.

This ´less-is-more´ philosophy is reflected in the design of the shop as well. Their aim is to declutter by stripping away the extras and allowing the wines and the stories of their winemakers to shine.

You can find CAV. on Raisin now, the perfect reason to plan a trip to Mallorca this year!

CAV. natural wine shop mallorca

CAV. natural wine shop mallorca

CAV. natural wine shop mallorca

CAV. natural wine shop mallorca

#sipthis : Satori by Sophie Héraud – Clos Présent

Satori by Sophie Héraud - Clos Présent

Satori by Sophie Héraud – Clos Présent

Satori is a beautifully rounded, well balanced, deep, red wine. It has notes of cherries, chocolate and forest fruits.

It’s made from a mix of 60% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 20% Carignan, which are vinified separately. The Syrah and Grenache grapes are destemmed and crushed, while the Carignan undergoes a 10-day carbonic maceration. They are then aged in stainless steel tanks for 7 months, before being blended for 1 month and bottled.

The Syrah provides sharp, medium tannins, the Grenache contributes that classic red fruit, berry flavour and the Carignan creates balance with spice and acidity that makes your tongue tingle. The result is a bottle that is smooth and extremely tasty. Somewhere between glou glou and a full bodied red. To get the full flavour, we’d recommend decanting.

Sophie Héraud settled in Albas in 2019 and began working on the 3.45 hectares of Clos Présent in 2020. This is her first vintage and the results are already incredible. We are really excited to see what the future holds for this talented natural winemaker.

Country: France Region: Occitanie

Grapes: 60% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 20% Carignan

Vintage: 2020

Music pairing – Herbie Hancock – Maiden Voyage

Satori by Sophie Héraud - Clos Présent

Satori by Sophie Héraud - Clos Présent

Satori by Sophie Héraud - Clos Présent