This week: L'Affaire Natur-All. Should sommeliers push de-alcoholized "wine"? Claire Naudin's bird concerns. Haut Les Vins is not a natural wine salon. And more.
DROPLETS: The Week in Natural Wine
Vital natural wine counter-propaganda. This week: L'Affaire Natur-All. Should sommeliers push de-alcoholized "wine"? Claire Naudin's bird concerns. Haut Les Vins is not a natural wine salon. And more.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
February 2, 2026 at 9:50 PM
This week: L'Affaire Natur-All. Should sommeliers push de-alcoholized "wine"? Claire Naudin's bird concerns. Haut Les Vins is not a natural wine salon. And more.
Rarely does one encounter, so early in a vigneron’s career, such a brilliantly-realized and uncompromising vision of patient, small-scale natural winemaking.
Domaine des Lucioles: A Place of Liberty
A chat with Alsace-born Jura vigneron Jordan Rudloff, who, together with his partner Elodie Heckenmayer, produces wine - and honey! - as Domaine des Lucioles.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
January 12, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Rarely does one encounter, so early in a vigneron’s career, such a brilliantly-realized and uncompromising vision of patient, small-scale natural winemaking.
Behind every great bottle of natural wine is a value system, waiting to be discerned.
Below with no paywall is a list of my Ten Natural Wine Fascinations of 2025 - the bottles that sparked the most reflection.
Below with no paywall is a list of my Ten Natural Wine Fascinations of 2025 - the bottles that sparked the most reflection.
Ten Natural Wine Fascinations of 2025
Ten bottles that counted. Plus: Interviews with Alsace vigneron Pierre Groger, and Jura vigneron Jordan Rudloff of Domaine des Lucioles.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Behind every great bottle of natural wine is a value system, waiting to be discerned.
Below with no paywall is a list of my Ten Natural Wine Fascinations of 2025 - the bottles that sparked the most reflection.
Below with no paywall is a list of my Ten Natural Wine Fascinations of 2025 - the bottles that sparked the most reflection.
the BIG LIST is up 🍷💀🍇
Winter 2025-2026 Natural Wine Salons
A calendar of upcoming natural wine salons for December 2025 and January - February 2026. Plus: my 2024 vintage of wines from abandoned vineyards in the Languedoc.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
December 10, 2025 at 10:32 AM
the BIG LIST is up 🍷💀🍇
Fabio Gea is practically alone in the region in regularly producing truly majestic unsulfited nebbiolo.
If only Gea himself were content with this achievement!
Instead he continues refining numerous innovative, tortuous-sounding vinification methods, on which more in the new interview …
If only Gea himself were content with this achievement!
Instead he continues refining numerous innovative, tortuous-sounding vinification methods, on which more in the new interview …
Fabio Gea's Dinosaur Wines
An interview with the restlessly experimental Barbaresco vigneron Fabio Gea.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Fabio Gea is practically alone in the region in regularly producing truly majestic unsulfited nebbiolo.
If only Gea himself were content with this achievement!
Instead he continues refining numerous innovative, tortuous-sounding vinification methods, on which more in the new interview …
If only Gea himself were content with this achievement!
Instead he continues refining numerous innovative, tortuous-sounding vinification methods, on which more in the new interview …
“I’m a beginner when it comes to nebbiolo… I got interested because I harvested it, but I don’t have a culture of nebbiolo. The more I taste, the more I’m disappointed.”
Jean-Yves Péron Reinvents Piemonte
The Savoie maestro's transalpine négociant work is the most important cross-cultural exchange happening in wine today.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
December 2, 2025 at 9:06 AM
“I’m a beginner when it comes to nebbiolo… I got interested because I harvested it, but I don’t have a culture of nebbiolo. The more I taste, the more I’m disappointed.”
the award seems like a nice occasion to share my own highly subjective list of Meilleur Cavistes - the ones whose examples taught me everything I know about selling natural wine
But Seriously, Who's the Best Caviste?
Dishing my own favorites, in the wake of an award from Le Fooding. Plus: Jean-Yves Péron on Piemontese grape varieties. And Fabio Gea's dinosaur wines.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
November 27, 2025 at 9:35 AM
the award seems like a nice occasion to share my own highly subjective list of Meilleur Cavistes - the ones whose examples taught me everything I know about selling natural wine
An archive interview with singular Scurzolengo (Piemonte) vigneronne Nadia Verrua, whose collaboration with her parents has brought simple, paisano winemaking to unprecedented places.
Lost Traditions: Nadia Verrua
An archive interview with singular Scurzolengo (Piemonte) vigneronne Nadia Verrua, whose collaboration with her parents has brought simple, paisano winemaking to unprecedented places.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 11:23 AM
An archive interview with singular Scurzolengo (Piemonte) vigneronne Nadia Verrua, whose collaboration with her parents has brought simple, paisano winemaking to unprecedented places.
the big list 🍇🍷💀
Fall 2025 Natural Wine Salons
A calendar of upcoming natural wine salons for October and November 2025. Plus: an archive interview with Nadia Verrua of Cascina Tavijn.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
October 16, 2025 at 11:40 PM
the big list 🍇🍷💀
i appreciate alicia dorey’s work but it won’t do to have a cavalcade of conventional winemakers parading into the natural wine market through an alicia dorey-sized hole in the discourse
DROPLETS: The Week in Natural Wine
Vital natural wine counter-propaganda. This week: Alicia Dorey rewrites natural wine history. Fear of sweet wine. Friedman on AI farming. Provençal grape ketchup. Politicizing natural wine. And more.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
September 20, 2025 at 2:09 PM
i appreciate alicia dorey’s work but it won’t do to have a cavalcade of conventional winemakers parading into the natural wine market through an alicia dorey-sized hole in the discourse
Primary school headmaster, heavy metal afficionado, beer geek - Abasar's Levente Major wears many hats.
He also produces some of Hungary's greatest white wines.
He also produces some of Hungary's greatest white wines.
Bring On the Major Leagues: Levente Major
Primary school headmaster, heavy metal afficionado, beer geek - Abasar's Levente Major wears many hats. He also produces some of Hungary's greatest white wines.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
September 2, 2025 at 8:10 AM
Primary school headmaster, heavy metal afficionado, beer geek - Abasar's Levente Major wears many hats.
He also produces some of Hungary's greatest white wines.
He also produces some of Hungary's greatest white wines.
“Old school farming, normal peasant farming, centuries ago, by today's standards, we would call it polyculture. But it's just how nature works. It's ten times more resilient to climate change, and it's better for everything.”
The Natural Balance: Bálint Losonci
An interview with Bálint Losonci, who coaxes ripe, exotic, Beauger-esque elixirs from gentle volcanic slopes surrounding Gyöngyöspata in the Mátra foothills.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
August 22, 2025 at 8:21 AM
“Old school farming, normal peasant farming, centuries ago, by today's standards, we would call it polyculture. But it's just how nature works. It's ten times more resilient to climate change, and it's better for everything.”
PAP farm 6ha in the volcanic hillscape surrounding Lake Balaton - which is, for context, home to Hungary’s most dynamic, thriving natural wine community 🍇🌋🍷
The Kitchen on the Mountain: Papa Aron Pince (PAP)
At Szent György hegy estate Papa Aron Pince, neo-vignerons Aron Molnar & Karina Vissonova craft some of the most original natural wines of Balaton.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
August 20, 2025 at 9:41 AM
PAP farm 6ha in the volcanic hillscape surrounding Lake Balaton - which is, for context, home to Hungary’s most dynamic, thriving natural wine community 🍇🌋🍷
Exploring volcanic terroirs in a hotbed of illiberalism.
Plus: visits to Levente Major, Papa Aron Pince, and Bálint Losonci
Plus: visits to Levente Major, Papa Aron Pince, and Bálint Losonci
Going Hungary
Exploring volcanic terroirs in a hotbed of illiberalism. Plus: visits to Levente Major, Papa Aron Pince, and Bálint Losonci.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
August 18, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Exploring volcanic terroirs in a hotbed of illiberalism.
Plus: visits to Levente Major, Papa Aron Pince, and Bálint Losonci
Plus: visits to Levente Major, Papa Aron Pince, and Bálint Losonci
An archive interview with the inestimably influential Languedoc vigneron behind Fontedicto, who passed away on Aug. 4th.
Remembering Bernard Bellahsen
An archive interview with the inestimably influential Languedoc vigneron behind Fontedicto, who passed away on Aug. 4th.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
August 6, 2025 at 4:44 PM
An archive interview with the inestimably influential Languedoc vigneron behind Fontedicto, who passed away on Aug. 4th.
godspeed bernard
More Paysan Than Vigneron: Fontedicto
An interview with Fontedicto vigneron Bernard Bellahsen, the pioneer, successively, of horse-plowing, organics, biodynamics, and unsulfited vinification in the Languedoc.
open.substack.com
August 5, 2025 at 1:39 PM
godspeed bernard
A belated report on my third vintage of wines from abandoned vineyards in the Languedoc. (And another wine from an abandoned vineyard in the Loiret) 🍇
My 2023 Vintage
A belated report on my third vintage of wines from abandoned vineyards in the Languedoc. (And another wine from an abandoned vineyard in the Loiret.)
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
June 11, 2025 at 11:43 AM
A belated report on my third vintage of wines from abandoned vineyards in the Languedoc. (And another wine from an abandoned vineyard in the Loiret) 🍇
Hostel Orfenor plays the role of Southside Johnny to the Auberge de Chassignolles’ Bruce Springsteen: the local hero, of more limited ambition and fame.
Dining on the Wine Trail: Hostel Orfenor, Brioude
Laura Victor & Zach Watson's adorable restaurant-auberge embodies the pluck and can-do spirit of the Auvergne neo-paysan new wave.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
June 6, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Hostel Orfenor plays the role of Southside Johnny to the Auberge de Chassignolles’ Bruce Springsteen: the local hero, of more limited ambition and fame.
A calendar of upcoming SUMMER 2025 NATURAL WINE SALONS.
Plus: a visit to Auvergne natural wine destination Hostel Orfenor, and a report on my 2023 vintage.
Plus: a visit to Auvergne natural wine destination Hostel Orfenor, and a report on my 2023 vintage.
Summer 2025 Natural Wine Salons
A calendar of upcoming natural wine salons for June, July, and August 2025. Plus: a visit to Auvergne natural wine destination Hostel Orfenor, and a report on my 2023 vintage.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
June 3, 2025 at 4:39 PM
A calendar of upcoming SUMMER 2025 NATURAL WINE SALONS.
Plus: a visit to Auvergne natural wine destination Hostel Orfenor, and a report on my 2023 vintage.
Plus: a visit to Auvergne natural wine destination Hostel Orfenor, and a report on my 2023 vintage.
New DROPLETS just dropped.
This week: Jefford on autocracy. Why winery start-ups fail. Eco concern-trolling in the Guardian. Still Prosecco. The fine water scam. And more.
This week: Jefford on autocracy. Why winery start-ups fail. Eco concern-trolling in the Guardian. Still Prosecco. The fine water scam. And more.
DROPLETS: The Week in Natural Wine
Vital natural wine counter-propaganda. This week: Jefford on autocracy. Why winery start-ups fail. Eco concern-trolling in the Guardian. Still Prosecco. The fine water scam. And more.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
May 23, 2025 at 11:24 AM
New DROPLETS just dropped.
This week: Jefford on autocracy. Why winery start-ups fail. Eco concern-trolling in the Guardian. Still Prosecco. The fine water scam. And more.
This week: Jefford on autocracy. Why winery start-ups fail. Eco concern-trolling in the Guardian. Still Prosecco. The fine water scam. And more.
hard to call this bad news
“A Sign That Consumers Are Anxious: They’re Cutting Back on Snacks”
“A Sign That Consumers Are Anxious: They’re Cutting Back on Snacks”
Pepsico Cuts Growth Forecast Amid Tariffs and Slowed Consumer Spending
PepsiCo’s earnings call pointed to anxious consumers as to why sales had slowed, echoing comments by Chipotle and Procter & Gamble.
www.nytimes.com
April 24, 2025 at 7:34 PM
hard to call this bad news
“A Sign That Consumers Are Anxious: They’re Cutting Back on Snacks”
“A Sign That Consumers Are Anxious: They’re Cutting Back on Snacks”
Earlier this month, Lester opened a new establishment in Clermont-Ferrand, Le Comptoir Central des Bazars, retaining the name of the toy shop that formerly inhabited the site on rue Lecoq
Ep. 32: Harry Lester of Le Comptoir Central des Bazars
A chat with the British chef whose series of Auvergne bistrots - L'Auberge de Chassignoles, Le Saint Eutrope, and Le Comptoir Central des Bazars - have launched a renaissance in Auvergne natural wine.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
April 23, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Earlier this month, Lester opened a new establishment in Clermont-Ferrand, Le Comptoir Central des Bazars, retaining the name of the toy shop that formerly inhabited the site on rue Lecoq
one great thing about opening my own restaurant is my family stopped telling me i should open my own restaurant
April 17, 2025 at 7:57 PM
one great thing about opening my own restaurant is my family stopped telling me i should open my own restaurant
is there any aesthetic / gustatory benefit to using dried chickpeas instead of canned or jarred ?
April 10, 2025 at 8:24 PM
is there any aesthetic / gustatory benefit to using dried chickpeas instead of canned or jarred ?
A chat with peripatetic Mexican chef and horse-plowing adept Mateo Breña, whose résumé includes work for Gut Oggau and Domaine Dandelion, alongside innumerable taco pop-ups 🌮 🐴🍷
Ep. 30: Mateo Breña
A chat with the peripatetic Mexican chef and horse-plowing adept, whose résumé includes work for Gut Oggau and Domaine Dandelion, alongside innumerable taco pop-ups.
notdrinkingpoison.substack.com
April 10, 2025 at 11:01 AM
A chat with peripatetic Mexican chef and horse-plowing adept Mateo Breña, whose résumé includes work for Gut Oggau and Domaine Dandelion, alongside innumerable taco pop-ups 🌮 🐴🍷