Have you ever thought about what goes into wine, apart from grapes? Your natural winemaker certainly knows. Natural wine is made with minimal intervention – without added sugars, foreign yeasts, and often without any sulphur dioxide, either. Yup, it flies in the face of modern-day viticulture, yet the movement is growing and nowhere more so than in Paris.
The French capital has more natural wine enthusiasts than anywhere else in the world. Start your hangover-free journey (sulphites are blamed for many a thick head) at Racines (morethanorganic.com), where owner Pierre Jancou declares himself a natural wine militant and lists more than 150 of them.
‘Actually I prefer the term “alive” to natural,’ he says. Many of his clients are Japanese visitors who flock to his bar in the 9th arrondissement. Natural wine is huge in Japan, where fans treat the mostly French winemakers like superstars – try Café Cowra in Tokyo (cafe-cowra.com).
An increasing number of Italian winemakers are creating natural wine, too. You’ll find these listed alongside the best from France at London’s latest natural wine bar, Terroirs (terroirswinebar.com). It’s the second to open in the capital after Artisan & Vine last summer (artisanandvine.com).
British Airways flies to Paris and Tokyo. Book a flight on ba.com now.
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