Episode 392 of I’ll Drink to That! was released recently and features Isabelle Legeron. She wrote the book Natural Wine: An Introduction to Organic and Biodynamic Wines Made Naturally, and she founded the RAW WINE fair with events in London, Berlin, (and soon!) New York City.
Isabelle Legeron relates on a personal level to the debate surrounding Natural Wine: her own brother runs their family farm with conventional means, and the wild asparagus that Isabelle used to hunt to find in the vineyard there has been completely obliterated. She witnessed during her own childhood the shift from a place where a team of workers performed the vine work by hand, to the massive use of machines to replace them. Her own views about that transition took longer to form, but around 2000 she really took up the cause of Natural Wine in her London home base, and that is where she launched the first RAW WINE fair dedicated to Natural Wine. That tasting event has since gone on to Berlin and New York City, and Isabelle also recently published a primer on Natural Wine. So, why is Natural Wine important, and what is the big deal about sulfur, anyway? What is the real takeaway for the consumer choosing between a Natural Wine and a conventional one on the retail shelf? Isabelle discusses her answers to those questions as well as more in this interview.
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I’ll Drink to That is the world’s most listened-to wine podcast, hosted by Levi Dalton. Levi has had a long career working as a sommelier in some of the most distinguished and acclaimed dining rooms in America. He has served wine to guests of Restaurant Daniel, Masa, and Alto, all in Manhattan. Levi has also contributed articles on wine themes to publications such as The Art of Eating, Wine & Spirits magazine, Bon Appetit online, and Eater NY. Check out his pictures on Instagram and follow him on Twitter: @leviopenswine
