RAW Paris 8.2.26

 

 

The RAW Wine fair is a fantastic instution. It used to be an annual delight here in London but has been missing from our schedule for quite a few years now. We look with envy to places all over the world where RAW sis still held: Berlin, Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, Copenhagen, Tokyo. Apparently, post-Brzit red tape is the reason RAW London is no more. Shame.

So when we saw that there would be RAW in Paris in February we decided that if  RAW didn't come to us we would go to it. Conveniently we could combine this with a visit to Wine Paris 26.

 

RAW was held at the Espace Clacquesin, Malakoff - just outside the Boulevard Peripherique. 

 

Claquesin is a once popular aperitif made from Norwegian pine sap among other things. This factory ceased production in 1942 and was declared a historical site in 1995. A good place to hold the fair you would have thought but in the event, somewhat cramped.

 

Clearly a victim of its own success there are now so many participants that it is difficult to negotiate so we can only figure a few standouts.

 

Loire. We limited our Loire and Loir researches to Grolleau Noir and Pineau d'Aunis.

 

Normally we love Grolleau Blanc, Gris and noir but not all the noirs were as good as this one from '68 1006'

 

Strange name.

 

 In terms of Pineau d'Aunis (warning: obsession!) we found an excellent producer, Domaine Maunoury whose 'Aunis soit!' was first rate.

 

 There was another fine producer of Pineau d'Aunis;

 Emmanuel Haget's wines are quite widely available, You can even buy this Pineau d'Aunis at People's Wine of Dalston and Roman Road, London.

 

 Quite a bonus to be able to obtain even one of the RAW wines in this country.

 

The mec from Quebec

 

Quebec We have always wanted to visit Quebec to taste their idiosyncratic wines. Only dating from 1980, the Quebec vineyard is now the third largest in Canada. In fact we have heard it tell that wine-growing in Quebec is difficult because the summers are too hot! In that respect Nova Scotia is better.

Frontenac Blanc

 

Frontenac was created as a red grape in 1978 from crossing Landot Noir with some Vitis Riparia varieties. It was licensed only in 1996. It has outstanding cold-hardiness. Frontenac gris is a white wine version of Frontenac, introduced in 2003. It started as a single bud mutation, yielding grey (gris) fruit and amber-coloured juice. Frontenac blanc was introduced in 2012 from white fruited mutations found in both Frontenac and Frontenac gris vines in Minnesota and Canada.

 

Pinot Madeleine

 

Next was a wine from a grape called Pinot Madeleine. Cue intense excitement. On qustioning Le mec from Quebec however, we learned that this is just a synonym for Pinot Noir Precoce, aka Fruehburgunder. As if that wasn't enough we have subsequently found out that this grape has a ton of other names. Why? 

They are:

Augsttraube, Augustiner blau, Augustclevner, Augustklevner, Augusttraube, Black Inly, Blaue Jakobstraube, Blauer Frühburgunder, Burgundac crni rani, Burgunder früh blau, Champagner schwarz, Claevner früh, Clevner, Clevner Frühburgunder, Frauentagtraube, Frühburgunder blau, Frühe Jakobstraube, Früher blauer Klevner, Frühreifer schwarzer Burgunder, Frühes Möhrchen, Frühtraube, Gospinsza, Ischia, Iskiya, Jackobstraube, Jacobitraube, Jacobstraube, Jacobszoeloe, Jakobstraube, Jakubske, Jakubske skore, Juliusi szoeloe, July Grape, Korai kek kisburgundi, Laurenzitraube, Laurenziustraube, Loerinc szoeloe, Lujega, Luviana Veronese, Maddalena nera, Madeleine noire, Magdalenentraube, Magdolna szoeloe, Möhrchen, Morillon hâtif, Morillon noir hâtif, Morillon parisien, Noir précoce de Gênes, Noir précoce de Hongrie, Noir printannier, Petit noir précoce, Petit noirin, Pineau de juillet, Pineau Madeleine, Pino cornij ranij, Pino ranii, Pinot de juillet, Pinot hâtif de Rilly, Pinot Madeleine, Pinot nero precoce, Pinot Noir précoce, Pinot Noir précose, Pinot plant de juillet, Pinot pommier, Pinot rannii, Pinot timpuriu, Plant printanier, Précoce noir, Raisin de juillet, Raisin de la Madelaine, Raisin de St. Jean, Raisin précoce, Rani modri burgrendac, Saint Jacques, Szent Anna szoeloe, S. Lorenzo, Tidlig bla burgunder, Tuannes negres, Uva de Trivolte, Uva di Tre Volte, Vigne d’Ischia and Zherna mushza. 

We asked our mec friend if he had any L'Acadie Blanc or Marquette but those he said had been left at home. 

These wines from the Conseil des vins de Quebec were not all great but there were good ones to be sure.

 

Romania. We were delighted to meet the affable Edgar Brutler of Weingut Edgar Brutler, Transylvania. He is a modern icon among winegrowers

Edgar Brutler himself

The name Edgar  Brutler has figured in these pages because he is the only producer of the white grape Gruenspitz in he world. The family had had holdings over this part of Transylvania for generations. They emigrated during the Communist period and returned thereafter. Edgar studied oenology at Geisenheim and made it his project to revive the ancestral plots. He and his father Johann have done this very successfully, following all manner of organic practises.

The Brutler 'assortiment' included (from left to right), Sefu Blanc (Furmint, Riesling and Chardonnay), Drum Bun (Feteasca Regala), Gruenspitz, Sefu Red (Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir), Wieso Nicht? (Blouge Field Blend), Cod (Blaufraenkisch). All good.
 

Switzerland. Bioweingut Rebhalde. 

 

So good to be with the Swiss, especially the Zurich lot. This gentleman from Rebhalde, Sven Hohl was also extremely affable. He is the fourth generation of Lake Zurich winemakers.

 You don't get Rauschling in the Valais! This is their flagship white wine.

Their Baechler red wine is a blend of no less than 7 grapes;

31% Pinot Noir
21% Merlot
13.5% Syrah
13.5% Blaufränkisch
7% Malbec
7% Bl. Zweigelt
7% Cabernet Sauvignon 

They also grow Syrah, Malbec and Grenache, Dornfelder, Cabernet Cortis, Cabernet Carbon, Gamaret, Garanoir, Marechal Foch and - Roter Rauschling!

If their Roter Rauschling was there we missed it. It is a colour mutation of Rauschling, also known as Gelbhoelzer and Blauer Rauschling. Once thought to be extinct, there are now 17 ares or 1.7 Hectares in existance. We'll just have to see if one day we can get it from Bioweingut Rebhalde.

For our last stop we went to

 

Japan. Katsuki Wines. The gentleman pictured above was helping out and did not profess to be an expert. From the helpful RAW Fair website we learn 

"Located in Aya, Miyazaki, Katsuki Wines is a boutique family-run winery focused on creating small production, handmade natural wines. After over a decade in New Zealand and Germany making and studying wine, Yoshitada Katsuki returned to his native Miyazaki to pursue the family- and community- based winemaking he experienced abroad. He hand-selected and personally imported a diverse lineup of varieties suited to Miyazaki’s challenging climate, and, inspired by Akinori Kimura’s “Miracle Apples,” began completely pesticide, herbicide, and chemical fertilizer free sustainable grape production in 2013. Adapting Japanese table grape growing techniques to European wine grape varieties, Yoshi grows quality organic wine grapes previously thought impossible for the region."

 

There were helpful laminated sheet on the table and from these we gleaned the grape varieties in Yoshi's wines;

Kyoho

Niagara

Portland. 

Regent 

Merlot

Fuji
 

The first three of these are Labrusca varieties and make up Katsuki's Aya Topia wine. Kyoho and Fuji are Japanese table grapes.

Portland (also New York 4393) is a cross between Champion (Concord x Hartford) x Lutie (Dracut Amber O.P.). It contains genes from Vitis labrusca and Vitis vinifera. The hybrid was crossed in 1912 at the Vine Breeding Institute of Cornell University in Geneva, New York.. It is mainly used as table grape. In 2016, 12 hectares were reported in Japan.

There was so much more but the above was reward enough for our visit.