Producers

Château de Bonnezeaux Loire, France A reborn wine estate with a rich history Château de Bonnezeaux has a history that dates back to the early 19th century. Originally famous for its sweet wines, the estate fell into disrepair in the 1980s and the vineyards were neglected for more than three decades. In 2012, the family decided to breathe new life into the estate and appointed their cousin, Guyonne Saclier de la Bâtie, as the head of this ambitious project. Guyonne, inspired by her internships with renowned winemakers such as Mark Angeli and Stéphane Bernaudeau, committed herself to restoring the vineyards and chose to produce dry Chenin Blanc wines. In 2019, Guyonne passed the baton to the young duo Léa Meslet and Pierre Boisseaux. With a shared passion for viticulture and a commitment to biodynamic practices, they have further expanded the estate and planted new plots. Their approach includes the use of traditional vertical champagne presses and long aging in old wooden barrels, resulting in wines with deep minerality and refined complexity. Château de Bonnezeaux works entirely organically and with minimal intervention to preserve the pure expression of the terroir. No chemical pesticides are used in the vineyard and the soil is worked by hand and with the help of horses to promote biodiversity. The grapes are hand-harvested and strictly selected to vinify only the best fruit. In the cellar, fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, without temperature control, allowing for a natural and complex development of the wine. Additions are kept to an absolute minimum: no fining, no filtering, and only a small amount of sulfites at bottling, ensuring that the wines remain pure, vibrant, and authentic. Today, Château de Bonnezeaux covers approximately nine hectares of vineyards. Despite the challenges of the past, the estate has established itself as a producer of high-quality dry Chenin Blanc wines, reflecting both the rich history and the innovative future of Loire viticulture and became one of the most sought-after wineries of Loire. The limited production is almost never for sale online.

Naïma & David Didon Chassey-le-Camp, Burgundy, France Started in 2017 by Naïma and David Didon is Domaine Didon in Chassey-le-Camp in the Côte Chalonnaise. This village is situated in the Bouzeron AOC, known for its Aligoté. However, besides their pristine Aligotés Domaine Didon also makes beautiful Chardonnays and different styles of Pinot Noir. Some of them are made with grapes from the Domaine’s own vineyards, completely adhering to biodynamic principles, and some are made as négoce wines, with the grapes coming from a friendly wine making family in the Alsace. The Domaine’s own vineyard, Vignes Blanches, is just about 2 hectare and is full of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinor Blanc and Aligoté. The soil is composed of limestone and is known as one of the best terroirs in the village. The vineyard is solely tended to by hand, with the exception of the help of a horse every now and then, thus avoiding the use of heavy machinery and preventing damage to the soil. In the cellar, Naïma and David look to influence the wine making process as little as possible. The wines are all aged on the lees in amphora, fiberglass or oak barrels after which they are bottled without or with minimal amounts of sulphite. This process results in terrific and pristine wines that are very limited!

Gianluca, Gregorio & Gino Nizza Monferrato, Piemonte, Italy SETTE consists of Gino and Gianluca, with 5,5 hectares of vines aged between 20 and 75 years in Nizza Monferrato. They grow mostly Barbera but also some Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Moscato. The vineyards used to be exhausted from years of mass production but due to the work of these winemakers the vines have been allowed to slowly recover. Other crops and fruit trees were planted in the vineyards to bring back diversity. Everything is done from a biodynamic approach. From liter bottles to share to deep and rich Barbera for diner, all the wines are mineral and clean, for everyone to enjoy. Step into a restaurant in Italy and everyone knows Gino della Porta. This is because he works for the import company Kippis since forever. Gino knows wine and everybody knows Gino. Now, he is focussed more on Sette and travels all over the world to sell his wines. Special wines from Piemonte, as the Nizza is a kind of Barbera you haven’t had before. Classic but definitely with it’s own style. Don’t miss out on the amazing Grignolino and Rosato if you want to taste something special and rare. But if you want to make everyone on the table happy, pour some elegant Barbera d’Asti.

Matthias Warnung Kamptal, Austria Matthias Warnung has worked with many winemakers, including Craig Hawkins (Testalonga), with whom he experienced the conversion to organic viticulture. In 2010, he took over his father's vineyards and now works on 10 hectares in the Kamptal region of Austria. All his wines are spontaneously fermented and always with little or no added sulfites. Matthias knows how to bottle wines with a special freshness, compactness, and elegance. Every year, it's a celebration to taste his new vintage. 

Francesco Pozzobon Nizza Monferrato, Asti, Piedmont, Italy Tenuta Foresto lies in the hills of Nizza Monferrato, in the heart of Asti (Piemonte), Italy. During the winter of 2016/17 Francesco Pozzobon used this place to realise his dream of setting up a vineyard and producing wine. He took over a semi-abandoned farmhouse with a vineyard where for years nothing had been grown intensively. It met the exact conditions he had in mind as it is surrounded by woods, preventing chemicals used on neighbouring conventional vineyards of blowing over onto their vines. Francesco strives to have as little influence as possibile on the natural ecosystem. By listening to the seasons they have managed to recover the fertility of the land and give their vines a fruitful place. Their cellar is a well insulated place that follows the temperatures of the different seasons without burdening the wines. The harvested grapes are placed in 35-50 hl tanks made of concrete or wood. In these tanks the fermentation takes place spontaneously together with the maceration. The ripening lasts about 12 months in oak barrels, without filtration, fining or addition of sulphites whatsoever. The wine is then bottled and let to ripen another 3 months in the bottle. Francesco predominantly uses local grape varieties such as Barbera, Moscato, Cortese and Dolcetto. The vines are all between 10 and 70 years of age and are planted in soils of limestone mixed with some clay and chalk, a terroir typical of the Nizza Monferrato region. Francesco really aims for his wines to be an honest representation of this terroir. The wines are straightforward, fruity, elegant but rich and for every wine drinker, natural lovers or not. La ideale is the perfect by the glass Barbera, whilst Paupau is the lighter happy fruity wine and Acru is his grand cru Barbera, a must.

Les Vins Pirouettes Ammerschwihr, Alsace, France Originally founded by Christian Binner and associates in 2009, Les Vins Pirouettes is a collective of around 15 independent vignerons from the Alsace. All participating winemakers follow either a biological or biodynamic approach, grow their own grapes and make the wine in their own cellar. The label represents quality, the community, knowledge and environmental conservation. The winemakers of Les Vins Pirouettes do not hesitate to think outside the box resulting in rare, creative and innovative wines, often aged and only released when they are ready to drink. The collective, including winemakers like Jean Marc Dreyer, Stephane Bannwarth and Claude Straube, are assisted in the marketing, distribution and wine making knowledge by a specialised team, which allows the winemakers to concentrate on their passion: working with the vines. The characteristics of the grapes are strongly influenced by the Alsatian soil such that each harvest makes unique wines. All the wines are ripened in the winemakers’s cellar, revealing the terroir’s specific characteristics with finesse. Each cuvée carries the name of the winemaker on the label. The 20 winemaking partners of Les Vins Pirouettes cultivate their vines throughout the Alsace, from the north to the south. The difference in soils, ranging from limestone to granite and sandstone, allow for great diversity in the wines. Around 30 cuvées are produced by the collective with all the grape varieties known to the Alsace: from Gewürztraminer to Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Muscat, Sylvaner and Riesling. Nowadays it’s Remi Segura you’re talking to if you are connecting with Les Pirouettes. He is the face you will see on the wine fairs and events and has all the knowledge and connections with the vignerons. But don’t forget to pay him a visit in his restaurant Amsel if you are in Alsace, he’s the sommelier there too!

Aci Urbajs Rifnik, Styria, Slovenia The legendary Aci Urbajs makes rare wines in his minuscule vineyard of three hectares in Styria, Slovenia. His grapes follow the highest biodynamic standards and cosmic cycles as Urbajs leaves everything to nature. He solely focusses on capturing the essence and spiritual core of his vineyards in his wines. Urbajs is a radical winemaker, if you consider handing over completely to nature as radical. He believes that wines are not made by winemakers but by nature. His small vineyard is an idyllic cacophony of vines, fruit trees, plants and animals that descents into the valley under his house on the steep gradient. The wines made by Urbajs are unique and not available in many places as he only makes a limited number of bottles. The grape varieties grown by Urbajs are Laški Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Kerner, Pinot Noir and Blaufränkisch. From these grapes, he makes unique and amazing wines, that are a must try. Light, energetic, never heavy, always balanced with acidity and fruit. Mouthwatering wines and very limited.

Alessandro Martelli Suvereto, Tuscany, Italy Incontri lies in the municipaliry of Suvereto in Tuscany and was founded in 1967 by Martellino Martelli, the grandfather of the current wine maker Alessandro Martelli. The estate was transformed into a winery in the 80's by Alessandro’s parents, Renzo and Marcella, before being taken over by Alessandro in 2000. After taking over Alessandro planted new vineyards, restored the olive groves and built the current cellar. The estate comprises 12 hectares, 6 of which are vineyards, 2 are olive groves, 3 are farming fields and 1 is uncultivated land. Incontri translates to encounter, to which Alessandro says: “When smelling the soil and the air, you smell the essence of the land, full of rosemary, camomile and dandelions, this is the land of scents and that land is my wine”. Alessandro is an ambitious winemaker. He looks at his land with tenderness and openness. He practices permaculture on the estate, which furthermore has zero carbon footprint. The soil consists of equal parts sand, clay and silt allowing for a great potential of growth. Varieties that are planted are typical to the region: Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Vermentino and Trebbiano. Incontri wines are certified organic, vegan and without added sulphites. The wines are only released when they are really ready. Hence the older vintages.

Farid Yahimi Ammerschwihr, Alsace, France Farid Yahimi has been working with natural wine for over 20 years already and is one of the founders of the Association des Vins Naturals (2005). After years spent experimenting with natural fermentation in his garage it was only in 2017 and after the recommendation of Christian Binner (also known as the founder of Les Vins Pirouettes) that he started to make wine himself. The wines of Farid are a mixture of wild and pure wines for which he uses grapes from different regions. He produces his wines, under the name of Sons of Wine, in an old cellar in Beblenheim in the Alsace. From this cellar he makes spectacular and authentic wines with grapes grown in the area but also from the vines he owns in Côte de Toul in the Lorraine and the Beaujolais. Futhermore he collects grapes from the Languedoc, the Loire and even from Spain. Yahimi’s wines are unique and creative and greatly supported and respected throughout the world of wine. He never releases a faulty wine, as he always makes sure the problems stay in the cellar, without any additions but just the addition of time, he makes sure you get wines that are ready to drink.