Why Natural Wine Should Be Your Drink of Choice in 2021
And a Story of the 4 Friends Who Changed Wine Forever
What do natural wine and punk music have in common?
They both fought against the norm.
Whilst the late 70s era of overly technical prog-rock was being viscerally assaulted by the raw energy of punk, a group of 4 rebellious winemaker friends in Beaujolais, France were raging against the machine in their own way.
Marcel Lapierre, Jean Foillard, Jean-Paul Thevenet and Guy Breton — or the Gang of Four as they became known — broke away from the generally accepted, industrialised way of growing and making wine.
They put away the machinery and chemicals and began making wines that were a true reflection of where they came from. Wines without artifice and adulteration. Wines that were better for the planet. Wines that were better for their health.
And like punk music, they made a lot of noise.
The movement grew as more winemakers took influence from these early pioneers. This defiant band of young winemakers often started identifying their wines by replacing the staid classical labels their parents may have used, for more provocative or playful designs.
