The Wild Bunch. Patrick Matthews.
Great wines from small producers.
The 90s wine trade had two great movements: Robert Parker Jnr and his scoring system and the arrival on supermarket shelves of big industrial international brands (Freixenet, Jacobs Creek, Whispering Angel, Yellow Tail). The forces were tied at the ankle like a cumbersome 3-legged race.
One journalist, Patrick Matthews, looked the opposite way, squinted, and a different pattern emerged: small passionate producers, terroir driven, adhering to organic farming principles and no messing around in the cellar. He called it “wine with a human face”.
Like all great investigative journalists, he straight to source and spent time with independent specialist importers and their maverick winemakers. The Wild Bunch is that tale, told with top storytelling craft. Characters. Passion. Conflict. Rise & Fall. It’s all human in here.
The joy of the book is the discovery and emergence of a new philosophy. The ancient way of making wine. He divides the producers into two camps: classic regions, and those often overlooked. And in the latter, Languedoc Roussillon features more than most. Our eyes opened wide. The brave forefathers of our business: Mas de Daumas Gassac, Mas Julien, Clos des Centeiles, Domaine d’Aupilhac, Domaine Gauby, Domaine de la Grange Pères, etc. Thank you, Patrick.
Fast forward 30 years.
If the natural wine is catching your attention, this book will introduce you to the many farmers who snatched winemaking from the industrial claws of commerce and gave winemaking back to nature. The diversity of flavours, irreplaceable from their terroir address. There is a helpful index of detailed references covering both the winemakers and their UK importers, most still exist.
Go on the journey and enjoy.