Last night we…. Supped biodynamic wines

Au naturel is the new way to drink, so impress your wine-snob friends by jumping on the biodynamic bandwagon first

RAW tasting opener

Hands up if you know what biodynamic wines are? Nope, we didn’t either. So, when we received an invitation to what promised to be not just your average wine and food-tasting evening, featuring biodynamic vintages from across the world and a matched seasonal menu, we considered it to be our journalistic responsibility to investigate. The sacrifices we make…

The event – held at the chic Antidote wine bar and restaurant in Soho – was a preview (pre-taste?) of what’s to come at the RAW artisan wine fair, due to hit London’s Brick Lane in May. RAW will feature 200-plus growers showing off their fine, naturally-produced wines (that’s 200 wines, people!) – and show us that biodynamic wine is about to go big. So, with a thirst for knowledge (and, er, wine), we arrived at Antidote on a mission to find out what all the fuss is about, and ask the rookie questions, so you don’t have to…

So, just what is biodynamic wine?

“It’s wine in its most authentic form,” Isabelle Legeron, founder of RAW, tells us over a glass of Glou…Bulles 2010 (a rosé champagne-alike fizz made from the Gamay grape, FYI). “There are no chemicals or additives – there’s nothing to interfere with the natural flavour of the grape.”

Lagvinari with sea bream

This means not only are biodynamic wines made from organically-grown grapes, but they are also fermented naturally without the help of yeast, and bottled without sulphites to preserve them. They are, Isabelle points out proudly, “100% grape juice”.

So does that mean they count towards our five-a-day? ’No such luck, sorry. But what is so good about them?

“The wine is pure and untampered with, which makes the flavour so much more interesting,” says Isabelle. In fact, she explains that as no artificial extras are added to alter the taste or colour, no two bottles are exactly the same. That’s not to say that they can’t be sold en mass, though – our second glass, the zingy, almost apple-y Lammershoek South African chenin blanc, has been picked up as one of the house wines at Fortnum & Mason. And it goes down a treat with a dish of celeriac, goat’s curd and toasted almonds.

But why should I reach for a biodynamic wine rather than my normal plonk?

Well, you like to know what’s in your food, don’t you? Wine should be no different, argues Isabelle. “At the moment, wines carry no labelling telling you exactly what went into them,” she says. “Most people don’t know that many wines can contain up to 60 additives. Or traces of animal products – many aren’t vegetarian, or vegan. Natural wines give you back control over what you are drinking.”

Gascony pork loin, apricot and chanterelles

Sounds good… but do they taste good, too?

Yup, but you have to keep an open mind. The aromatic Lagvinari (Isabelle’s own wine, btw) is orange – yes, orange – in colour and tastes as unusual as it looks. Bold, full-bodied and aromatic, its spicy flavour all fell into place when served alongside a fabulous dish of citrus-cured bream. The pinky-coloured, refreshingly acidic Rififi A Beaulieu from France proved to be a super-quaffable choice with perfectly cooked pork; but best of all was the night’s only red – a Barossa Shiraz from Australia, which delivered bold berry flavours with a surprisingly light touch. We went back for seconds… and thirds…

So do you get as biodynamically, er, squiffy as with normal wines?

Short answer: yes. By the time the night’s dessert wine – the honeyed yet refreshingly acidic Clos de la Meslerie – was served, the word “biodynamic” was proving trickier and trickier to say. Good job that Isabelle assures us that no chemicals means no hangovers.

Sadly Fabulous discovered this wasn’t strictly true the next morning. Oops.

Try it yourself

The RAW Artisan Wine Fair runs from May 19-20 at The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London. For information and tickets, visit Rawfair.com.

Antidote, Soho, has a wine list featuring 150 natural wines. Visit Antidotewinebar.com.