Everything I do now is about getting natural wine out there so that people can find out about it and hopefully choose to drink it. It’s all part of my mission to change the way we drink.
There are all sorts of new natural wine projects in the pipeline so stay tuned.
If there are any you are involved in or that you know about, let me know – if I can, I’d love to help you out.
I first got interested in Georgia when I tasted Prince Makashvili (now renamed 'Our Wine') wines at a Slow Food event in France. I've been interested in wines made in clay pots and I knew the technology came from Georgia. What I hadn't realised was how ubiquitous these ancient pots are. Nor did I realise that it is probably in fact in one of these that wine was born some 8000 years ago in the south Caucasus.
So when the Channel said they'd be interested in me doing a show out there I was thrilled.
It's being broadcast on Travel Channel, in 117 countries and 20 languages. If you're in the UK, you can watch it on SKY (channels 251 and 252). Alternatively, it's also out on DVD! Check out the next tab for info on how to buy a copy.
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"A great flick. Really fabulous." - Alice Feiring, author of Naked Wine.
"One for the wine buffs" - awarded 3-stars by the Daily Mail.
You can buy a copy of the DVD through us. It's PAL (format used in UK & Europe), which means it might not play on old school NTSC (format used in the USA) DVD players but it will play in any computer.
It's £9.99 + (postage & packing, which is £3 for the UK & Europe and £4 for the rest of the world). So, where do you live?
"Wine wonderwoman Isabelle hits the ex-Soviet Republic of Georgia, where believe it or not wine was actually born some 8000 years ago. As the birthplace of her bread and butter, Isa decides it should be on any self-respecting wine lovers checklist of ‘places to visit before I die’ so off she trots.
Isa discovers an extraordinary country for whom wine is intrinsic to the national psyche - even the alphabet is based on the squiggles of the vine. She unearths a wine heritage that predates both the Ancient Egyptians and the Phoenicians, and remarkably is still alive today.
But with the advent of industrialised winemaking and the standardisation of taste, Georgia is at a tipping point as locals turn to making wine the western way. As ancient techniques give way to international winemaking gadgetry, might the ancient Georgian art of making wine be lost forever?"
The artisan wine fair. An opportunity to meet, taste, explore, buy exceptional wine.
RAW is a two-day celebration of some of the best wine talent in the world. Featuring around 150 growers and some 400+ wines, RAW will be one of the most exciting collections of fine, natural wines ever to come together in the capital. They are pure, kind to the planet, very possibly better for your health and best of all they're absolutely delicious.
Download an invitation to the event here.
Click here to check out our list of talks & seminars.
Click here to download a copy of our Fair catalogue.
For more information, visit our website: thenaturalwinefair.com
Borough Market, SE1 1TL
For those of you who don't know it, Borough Market is a real foodie destination, set beneath the railway viaducts between the river Thames and Borough High Street in central south east London.
It's open to...
Everyone: 15 May (9 am - 6 pm)
Trade: 16 & 17 May (9 am - 6 pm)
Closest tube: London Bridge
There is quite a big natural wine scene in Europe, it's started to catch on in New York and they're even taking note in Tokyo but here in the UK I realised that people have never heard of them.
I met two very inspiring people Sylvie Augereau and Nicolas Joly, both of whom set up great natural wine fairs in France and I thought it would be a great way of bringing people together and kickstarting some sort of general awareness in the UK.
I joined forces with a few natural wine importers in the UK and now I can't quite believe it's actually happening!
For more info, check out our website: thenaturalwinefair.com
I have been asked by VinNatur, one of the biggest natural wine associations in Italy, to help them organise a huge natural wine meet in Switzerland this coming autumn.
I'm very excited and have all sorts of plans up my sleeve for debates, talks and great content.
Will keep you posted as the project develops.
Any cunning ideas, obviously welcome. Please do get in touch.
Wine Lab has gone green.
All the corporate tastings we ran last year showcased fine, natural wine. Sometimes the dos were overtly about going natural, while others weren't, even though we used natural wines.
I really do think that delicious, natural wine is second to none - it's not just marketing spiel or blah-blah - so why wouldn't I promote and use these wines? Wine Lab is all about sourcing the best wines available so that events are a real tasting adventure and so, as with the rest of me - without purposefully meaning to - Wine Lab has gone green.
