Isabelle Legeron MW publishes comprehensive guide to natural wine

By Richard Siddle

Published: 23 June, 2014

Isabelle Legeron MW has produced a comprehensive guide to natural wine bringing together not only a detailed examination of what natural wine is, but a country by country, producer by producer guide to the wines and styles that newcomers and enthusiasts should be looking to drink.

Natural wine Natural WineIsabelle Legeron MW has her dedicated book on natural wine published in July

Legeron has established herself as one of the world's experts in natural wine, and is the founder of the increasingly influential RAW natural wine trade fair. She has now put all her knowledge and experience down on page in her new book, Natural Wine, An introduction to organic and biodynamic wines made naturally, published by CICO Books.

In her book Legeron sets outs the background and context to how natural, organic and biodynamic wines have evolved to become part of a wider movement to promote and celebrate wines that are stripped back to what the book refers to as "good old-fashioned fermented grape juice".

The publicity for the book likens the interest in natural wine to the trend in craft beer and the desire amongst producers and the public to seek out and drink more authentic products.

Legeron said of her new book which is released in July: "I'm incredibly excited about natural wine. I've dedicated my life to raising awareness about them. It is now the only wine I drink. I want people to know about the rubbish that goes into making so many of the wines on our shelves, but even more than that I want them to know that it doesn't have to be that way. There are amazing wines out there that are so, so much better in every way."

The book takes readers through the whole winemaking process of natural wine. It looks at the health benefits of natural wine, and the misconceptions that have built up around the natural wine movement.

It profiles and looks at some of the pioneers and leaders in natural wine around the world including Olivier Cousin in the Loire, Kevin Kelley in California, Louis-Antoine Luyt of Clos Ouvert in Chile, and Bernard Bellahsen in the Languedoc.

Isabelle Legeron MW has her dedicated book on natural wine published in July

Legeron also gives her own natural wine suggestions for wines to try broken down into sub-sections including bubbles, white wines, orange wines, pink wines, red wines and off-dry and sweet wines. She also lists recommended growers for readers to follow up.

The book costs £16.99 and is published in July from CICO Books.

Isabelle Legeron MW