The Raw Wine Festival was held in New York City on November 12 & 13. It was one stop on an international tour this year that took them to Los Angeles, Toronto, Paris and Copenhagen.

The festival was held at 99 Scott Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn which is a repurposed brick commercial building now used as an event space.

Raw Wine is a “collection of natural, organic and biodynamic wine artisans” that have come together to showcase their products which are “pure, kind to the planet and possibly better for your health without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides”.

This event has been running for several years and always get a good, youthful crowd sampling wines from unconventional wine makers. Both the crowd and the winemakers were more Birkenstock and flannel shirts than suit and tie.

All the major wine producing countries as well as the smaller ones were represented at the tasting. This niche wine style has grown in the past few years and have toned down the earthy and pungent aromas that were a hallmark of these wines.

Some interesting producers:

Sequerciani, from Tuscany, besides having a pretty label, bottled wines made with obscure grape varieties such as Pugnitello, Fogia Tonda, Ciliegiolo and Aleatico.

Agri Segretum from Umbria poured an interesting trio of Sangiovese based reds labeled Freghino, Pottarello and Marocchio.

Cort Sant ‘Alda from Vento poured a trio of Valpolicella including an Amarone.

Chateau Guadel poured a couple of vintages of their Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux.

Domaine Amirault showed some Cabernet Franc based reds from the Loire Valley.

Pray Tell Winery poured wines from the Willamette Vally, Oregon.