The World of Natural Wine: What It Is, Who Makes It, and Why It Matters

This is a passionate guide to natural wine and the growing and winemaking practices that have created a community of winemakers, or in the words of author Aaron Ayscough, "a counterculture."

One significant caveat is, despite the globe-spanning implications of the book's title, the 250 or so pages devoted to profiles of natural wine makers and their work are almost entirely about France. Fifteen pages address the rest of Europe and there is no coverage for anywhere else with the exception of some notes on restaurants and wine shops with a natural wine specialization.

Author Aaron Ayscough, the Paris-based creator of a blog and newsletter devoted to natural wine, does provide clear and accessible discussions of just what constitutes natural wine as well as explanations of how natural growers and winemakers differ in their choices from their peers in conventional wine production. 

Ayscough is uncompromising in his devotion to natural wine (his blog is called Not Drinking Poison), so those looking for a dispassionate examination of the subject will not find it here.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.