Finding Art in Natural Wine
Discover Natural Wine in the Heart of the Luberon. Racines, Bonnieux.
Inspired by the natural wine bars and sourdough bakeries in London's Hackney district this summer, Silke, my wife, and I were determined to seek out natural wine in our next vacation destination, our beloved Luberon. I thought this might be a challenging endeavor, as I remembered the region being rather sleepy and dedicated to traditional winemaking and cooperatives. However, after a few quick searches and consulting my new favorite app "Raisins," it was clear: a lot has changed here in recent years. Biodynamic practices and natural winemakers are popping up everywhere, and not far from our home base in the village of Bonnieux, we even found a cavist with a local natural wine selection. So off we went, and we met two incredibly charming young people who, after ten years together in Manhattan, had had enough of the hustle and bustle of the big city and had built a new home in the Luberon.
Jessica and Pierre met in Manhattan, by chance, while having a beer on St. Patrick's Day. Jessica, a true New Yorker, and Pierre, a true Alsatian, had their first real date over a glass of wine at a beautiful wine bar (@vsv_winebars), a place they returned to at least a hundred times during their ten years together in Manhattan. At that time, Jessica was still studying and working as an accountant, while Pierre was looking for an internship to gain a foothold in the finance industry.
"In Manhattan, everyone was really working in finance back then." - Jessica
However, Pierre couldn't find a company willing to sponsor his visa. No one was waiting for the "French Guy" from Alsace, especially when there were ten Americans lined up for the same job. So, he turned to the relatively large French community in New York for advice on what to do next. Since it seemed that all the French in Manhattan worked in the wine industry, he quickly started working at a wine shop—a fortunate turn of events, as both like to emphasize.
Their passion for wine was ignited, and they began to spend their vacations exclusively along wine routes. They traveled frequently to France (naturally), visited winemakers, roamed through vineyards, bombarded the vintners with questions, and tasted as much as they could—sometimes three to four times a day at different producers. The best way to learn everything about wine is to visit the wineries and regions, taste the wines, and ask questions.
"I have countless books about wine, and I haven't finished a single one." - Pierre
Why did they keep coming back? "It was a 'Pleasure Thing'," Pierre emphasizes. Before wine, it was just traveling, eating, drinking. And wine naturally fits perfectly into the drinking part. "Et voilà," there it was, the triangle of good food, gastronomy, and good wine. Finding the perfect table and the right wine to set the whole scene in motion. The small villages in the wine regions are brimming with great gastronomy. The Bermuda Triangle of indulgence was discovered.
Thanks to the international wine portfolio of the shop on the Upper East Side, the two of them learned to appreciate the diversity of the wine world. They enjoyed the many facets that wine offers and came to see winemaking as a true art form.
"It's just like when you go to a Michelin-starred restaurant: the plates, the preparation, the thought process behind it. You meet artists and appreciate their art." - Jessica
Pierre began to really delve into the details. He wanted to learn everything and understand every secret of winemaking, while for Jessica, it was more about the emotional component, the where and how. "Where do I want to drink this wine and what do I want to do while drinking it? Do I want to sit in the sun or cozy up with a good book by the fireplace? Something like that."
During their journey, they also encountered many fascinating and diverse people. The winemakers, other enthusiasts they met during tastings—everyone had infinitely interesting stories. They always got the best local tips on where to eat and where to stay from the winemakers.
“The vintners are local; they know where the good stuff is!” - Pierre
After several years touring the wine universes of the Old World, Jessica and Pierre gradually realized they wanted to leave the city. The ceaseless hustle of the big city was exhausting. Moreover, in Manhattan, you only get one week (!) of vacation per year. How could they cover their beloved trips to France with that? "Sorry, no way!" The yearning for Provence was ignited in Jessica by the books of Peter Mayle (A Year in Provence, A Good Year, Ridley Scott—you know the ones). In their tiny New York apartment, she devoured his books. There was sun, there was the possibility of a slower-paced life.
"Hey, they even drive goats through a village during a festival. That must be a lot of fun!" - Jessica
They visited the Luberon region, specifically Bonnieux, a few times to see if Peter Mayle's descriptions were true, and they fell in love with the spot of land at the foot of Mont Ventoux. Initially, they just wanted to rent or buy something small to have a home base. "You know, the usual way everyone does it. Rent it out a bit, and use it themselves, to gradually see if it could be something more permanent." Then came COVID. The quarantine and the small apartment in New York. Being confined suddenly created a completely different kind of pressure. They wanted out. Out of the city. Now!
In May 2020, Jessica and Pierre made their decision, and by June 2020, they were crossing the threshold with two suitcases and a parlor palm, with the help of Jessica's dad, leaving the city behind for Provence!
The apartment they were in the process of buying was furnished, so moving in without their own furniture was relatively simple at first. Pierre’s mother contributed two cups, a few plates, and some cutlery, and that was all they initially had with them. However, France was still in lockdown, and the two slowly began looking for possible jobs at wineries or elsewhere. At that time, they had not yet planned to open their own wine shop, but they were certainly eager not just to drink the local wine at home. They wanted wines from Jura, Loire, Burgundy, Alsace, Champagne, or Côte-Rôtie, and they ordered their wines from a wine merchant in Lyon. That's when the idea struck them.
“Why don't we open our own wine shop? Why aren't we the ones meeting the needs of perhaps like-minded wine fans who, like us, are eager for exciting wines from outside the region?” - Jessica & Pierre
That's how it began. They built up a small, well-curated stock while simultaneously gathering a selection of local producers not commonly found in every supermarket corner. The idea was that while locals or tourists might want to buy a couple of bottles of Luberon wine, they might also enjoy taking something from Alsace home, not wanting to drink the local wine every night. They also considered what people actually want to drink when the summer heat becomes oppressive. “What did we want to drink? What about our friends, who might have different tastes?”
In the area around Bonnieux, more and more young people are opening exciting eateries with local concepts, or starting their own wine production, making micro-cuvées. Like Fabien Chanavas from Domaine du Petit Bonhomme (@domainedupetitbonhomme) who, alongside his main job as a winemaker for a larger vineyard, runs his own small production. Or the owners, Sarah Mottay and Antoine James, who in May this year opened Bistro Francis (@bistrotfrancis) right above Jessica and Pierre's wine shop, serving exclusively natural wines alongside regional cuisine. Like Jessica and Pierre, Sarah also came to Bonnieux during the lockdown, fleeing the tight confines of Lyon and the bleak gastronomic landscape, to build a new home at the foot of the Luberon. "It's shaping up to be a super exciting scene here," Pierre says. "People who are eager to make something happen, to take risks."
Most of the local natural wines end up abroad, say Jessica and Pierre—destinations like Japan, America, and England. With their shop, Jessica and Pierre also aim to give young entrepreneurs the chance to showcase their wines to the local population. Often, these producers don't have the facilities to receive visitors at their vineyards, lack tasting opportunities, or simply don't have the time because they're running a one-person operation. That's where Racines fills the gap. The winemakers tell their interested customers, "Go to Racines in Bonnieux; you can taste and buy my wines there. They know me."
When asked whether they had any formal wine education, like WSET courses or similar, both Jessica and Pierre laugh and say there is no better training than sitting down with a winemaker and asking questions. When they visited Champagne last year, Jessica had absolutely no idea what Champagne was, apart from the fact that it can be happily consumed all day. But after visiting four wineries, walking through the vineyards, tasting the still wines followed by the sparkling ones, she was left speechless by the magnificence of this incredible beverage. No wonder, with winemakers like Chavost or Vincent Couche—both are highly sought-after producers, whose products practically fly off the shelves.
In their portfolio, they currently feature about a hundred producers and approximately 350 wines. Everything is hand-curated, personally visited, and tasted. They know each wine and its story personally, and it's a joy to be advised by them and to catch their passion. Their focus follows their personal passions. Predominantly they drink wines from Alsace, Jura, and Burgundy, but they also have a soft spot for the Loire and Northern Rhône, and indeed—as what drew me into the store—a fantastic selection of local natural wine producers from the Luberon, like Sylvain Morey, or Domaine de L’Or, who follows the typical regional style but makes completely exciting, fresh, and modern wines.
In the coming years, they plan to expand their portfolio further, diversify, and especially in their new store, which will be completed in a few months, offer tastings, organize themed evenings, and perhaps organize a dinner every five months, having the winemakers present.
Currently, Jessica and Pierre are particularly enjoying wines that suit the warming weather. Jessica says, "Right now, definitely Alsace. Solid, crisp Riesling—or lots of bubbles." For reds, they are currently on a Burgundy kick, somewhat of a small revenge because a bottle had spoiled on Jessica's recent birthday, and she is determined to enjoy some good Burgundy wine. So, it's another triangle of preference for them: Alsace, Burgundy, Jura—these are what they drink the most. And of course, local natural wine producers: "La Lumière," whose bottles are "on high rotation" at their home. Jessica's personal highlight while reading a good book is a Chenin from the Loire: "Crisp, beautiful. Tastes like the summer sun." Pierre's favorite is "a calming wine, an Orange Gewürztraminer from Alsace.
“Delicate, thin, unripe apricot, refreshing, with lots of energy, liveliness. A non-linear wine." - Pierre
When drinking with friends? "Pet Nats," definitely. "Love to start the night with bubbles," Jessica says.
So, make a stop at Bonnieux on your next trip to Provence. Or simply contact them via Instagram (@ racinesvins)—they are happy to ship their wines to Germany or wherever else you might want them!