RAW 2013

RAW: the artisan wine fair launches in London

RAW, the artisan wine fair, is a two-day celebration of some of the best natural wine talent in the world taking place in London on May 20^th & 21^st.

Featuring around 150 growers, RAW promises to be one of the most exciting collections of fine, organic and biodynamic wine artisans ever to come together in the capital. Their wines are pure, kind to the planet and very possibly better for your health.

RAW offers a unique opportunity to taste and buy a variety of fine wines from around the world, including classic regions such as Burgundy, Bordeaux and Piedmont, as well as exciting wine scene newcomers of the likes of Georgia and Serbia.

There will be cult producers, classic household names as well as future stars, and even some who will be showing their wines in the UK for the first time ever.

Organised by Isabelle Legeron MW – the first French female Master of Wine, presenter of Travel Channel wine shows, co-founder of last year’s Natural Wine Fair at Borough Market, and the first MW to focus on natural wine – RAW aims to build on the success of last year’s show by acting as a truly independent wine event open to all producers, importers and official bodies. World renowned, international grower associations - La Renaissance des Appellations and VinNatur – are taking part and bringing with them growers from the four corners of the globe.

Despite being a traditional concept, due to modern farming techniques and technologies, the production of natural wine has become relatively rare, with the majority of wine now mass-produced.

The show will feature organic and biodynamic wines, made with minimal intervention in the winery, without the use of selected yeasts, additives or heavy processing. Isabelle says that “My aim is to promote transparency in the wine world in order to support the art of authentic wine production. I want to help people think about what they drink’.

RAW is leading the charge for transparency including a charter of quality that exhibitors must adhere to. The charter includes requests that all grapes must be farmed organically or biodynamically, only indigenous yeasts used and clear labeling with the levels of sulphur.

Serious collectors, wine newcomers, professionals and amateurs alike are all invited to attend. RAW will feature talks from some big industry names. Confirmed to date are biodynamic ambassador Nicolas Joly of La Coulée de Serrant, and José Vouillamoz, Jancis Robinson MW's co-author of her forthcoming book ‘The Grape’.

There will also be food stands and a pop-up shop, allowing visitors to purchase the wines they sample – either to take home on the day or be delivered after the show.
RAW is unprocessed. It is about truth, authenticity and frank wine talking, but most of all it's about showcasing good wine.

Info
RAW takes place at the Old Truman Brewery, London, E1.

• 20th & 21st May 2012
• Opening times: Sunday 20th May 2012 – for public & trade – 10am-6pm; Monday 21st May 2012 – trade – 10am-7pm
• rawfair.com
• Twitter @rawfair and Facebook: www.facebook.com/rawfair
• Supporters: La Renaissance des Appellations (www.biodynamy.com) and VinNatur (www.vinnatur.org)
• Isabelle Legeron is an exceptional, award-winning wine taster. She stands for authenticity of taste and fine natural wine (free of additives and manipulation). She is THAT CRAZY FRENCH WOMAN (thatcrazyfrenchwoman.com), consults for Hibiscus, a 2* Michelin restaurant in Mayfair dedicated to fine natural wine, as well as the eco-luxury Soneva resorts in the Maldives. 

Charter of Quality
All wines presented at RAW have to fulfil the following criteria:
•        Grapes must be farmed organically and/or biodynamically, whether or not certified.
•        The entirety of the Domaine from which the grapes are issued must be farmed organically and/or biodynamically, whether or not certified.
•        Grapes must be hand-harvested.
•        Only indigenous yeasts may be used except in the case of the second fermentation of sparkling wines, when neutral yeasts may be added.
•        No winemaking additives may be used in the cellar bar, at most, a little SO2*. (We understand this to mean that the producer is ultimately aiming to add as little SO2 as possible. Total sulphites will be clearly labelled, unless no sulphites have been added whatsoever, in which case the mention “no added sulphites” will be included in the wine's description).
•        No ʻheavy-manipulationʼ has been carried out using winemaking gadgetry such as reverse osmosis or cryo-extraction, spinning cone, and so forth.