Author Simon J Woolf

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Simon J Woolf
Contributor
Simon is an award-winning English wine and food writer, currently based in Amsterdam. He writes mostly, but not exclusively about organic, biodynamic and natural wines. Fermented grape juise has been his muse for the last 15 years. Originally he just drunk the stuff, then started studying, and finally got the urge to communicate in 2011, starting with www.themorningclaret.com. Simon contributes regularly to Decanter magazine, Meininger Wine Business International and other publications.

Going Wild in Alsace – Yeasts, Elegance and Spontaneity

Simon J Woolf
Features
8 min read
There's been a bit of a furore about wild yeast fermentation over the past month. The fires were stoked by new research published by scientists at the University of British Columbia and authored by graduate student Jessica M. Lange, summarized in Wine Business Monthly: “Regardless of which yeast started the

Amphora Attack

Simon J Woolf
Feature Stories
3 min read
Despite repeated attempts at coercion, I can't get Franz Landauer-Gisperg to tell me how he acquired his amphorae. “If the other winemakers round here knew where I got mine, they'd all want one” is his rather cryptic comment. A better question might be “what the hell is an amphora doing

Natural Bordeaux: How the Petits Châteaux are Making Waves

Simon J Woolf
Feature Stories
4 min read
Arguably the world's pre-eminent wine region, Bordeaux is not readily associated with emerging trends like natural or low-intervention winemaking. In this region, the celebrity Crus classés  [Classified Growths] have transitioned from mere wine producers into luxury brands, and protecting those brands—read not taking risks—is their major priority. Pontus Elofsson, head