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Find out here more about the farmers who were present and represented at the first edition of the Green Is Golden market.
Green Is Golden market participants (will be regularly updated)
Tunia (Chiara Innocenti)
Tuscany, Italy
In 2008, Chiara Innocenti and Francesca Andrea Di Benedetto, along with Francesca’s brother, bought 15 hectares of abandoned vineyards in the hills in the hinterland of Tuscany, 1 hour south of Florence. Theirs was a monster project, but one thing was for sure: residues of pesticides could not be found there. This was the ideal soil for the organic farming they were after. The local weather suits organic agriculture: the constant breeze going through the Chiana Valley from Lake Trasimeno keeps the worst enemies of the grapes at bay. Right now the duo makes great wines characterized by precision and a cool style, thanks in part to moderate summer temperatures of around 24 degrees.
Distributor: Arisz et al
Štemberger Wines (Sebastijan Štemberger)
Karst, Slovenia
Sebastijan Štemberger’s wines come in two flavors: rich and classy ones and more wild wines. His vineyards are located on the Karst plateau, a region in Slovenia, one of the oldest wine regions in Europe extending across the border of southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy. His wines are mostly from exciting local grapes like Vitovska, Istrian Malvasia, and Zelén. Stemberger is definitely a bit of a cult hero. Recently he worked together with French natural wine legend JF Ganevat. Sebastijan bottles his wines when ready. Relatively low alcohol, precision, and maturity are his signature. Add to this some volatile acidity to support aging and drinkability and you have ‘adventure in a bottle.
Distributor: Tuurlijk Wijnen
Oller del Mas (Carles Muray)
Catalonia, Spain
Vineyard Oller del Mas lies in Pla de Bages, in the heart of Catalonia. Pla de Bages used to be the thriving center of viticulture in Spain. However, in the 19 century, phylloxera hit European winemakers. The region fell into despair.
Oller del Mas set out to recover the heritage of winemaking here in 2003 and started from day one with 100% organic viticulture. When young gun Carles Muray joined in 2018, he convinced the family that making natural wine was the way to go.
His focus is on recovering autochthonous varieties, creating healthy soils, and clean winemaking. This has resulted in an amazing lineup of natural wines, with varieties such as Sumoll, Picapoll Negre, and Malvasia Manresana. Most of his wines are shipped to Japan, where he has a cult following. Carles will participate in the workshop ‘Living Soil and Living Wines’.
Distributor: WoldeVins
Sense Pressa (Marius Long)
Languedoc, France
Sense Pressa is a Catalan term and means something like ‘take it easy’. When it comes to his wines, winemaker Marius Long does not take things easy. He is deeply committed to zero-zero wine. Nothing was added, and nothing is taken away. He presents his 2nd vintage at the Green Is Golden Natural Wine Festival A’dam.
Marius worked his way through different vineyards and cellars through his early and mid-twenties, and has found his winemaking home in the small village of Padern in the Corbiers where he works in the old cave cooperative with other local winemakers.
Dutch distributor Selection Sauvage considers Marius as ‘a representative of a type of natural winemaking that will leave a lasting impression on the wine world.’ Taste and decide yourself!
Distributor: Selection Sauvage
L’Archetipo (Domenico Dibenedetto)
Puglia, Italy
It’s not often that you encounter a winemaker that is invited by the European Parliament to speak about his agriculture practices. Enter: Francesco Valentino Dibenedetto from Puglia. He started to understand the importance of soil health already in the 1980s. Over 30 years later he has mastered sustainable farming by focusing on synergies in the ecosystem.
Francesco became an agricultural innovator by going back to the old ways, combined with new technology. Inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka (One Straw Revolution) he developed his ‘synergistic agriculture’.
His know-how is passed on to the next generation .Francesco’s son Domenico represents l’Archetipo in Amsterdam and will share their journey as well as their wines.
Distributor: Arisz et al
Petr Korab
Moravia, Czech Republic
Petr Korab is considered by someone of the most exciting cult winemakers in Eastern Europe. It’s the last thing he’d call himself though and he certainly doesn’t behave like one. The fact is that he started working in natural (non-unconventional) ways. Respecting nature in 2006, before the natural wine hype had taken off. He cultivates some 4 hectares of vineyard, with many of the vines being close to a hundred years old. The quality of his wines is remarkable. His wines are often aged on taste is acacia and oak barrels. Resulting in deeper, more complex wines that are yet always drinkable.
Distributor: Tuurlijk wijnen
Henri Kaes
Alsace, France
Henri Kaes comes from an extensive lineage of viticulturists. The family used to sell their grapes to winemakers until Henri came in in 2010 and decided to make their own wines. He started to grow his grapes certified organically. Now he works with plants like nettle, horsetail, comfrey, and wicker. His dry red and white terroir wines are made from traditional Alsatian grape varieties and he likes to experiment with long aging in different types of barrels to refine the expression of his wines. This results in great vintages such as the Grand Cru Bruderthal: well balanced, with a round mouthfeel and a touch of elegant oxidative tones.
Distributor: Aardig Wijntje
PolOpuesto (Pol Andsnes)
Mendoza, Argentina
PolOpuesto is the story of a Californian making natural wines in Argentina. Starting out as one of the first natural wine producers in Mendoza in 2013, now almost 10 years ahead he’s matured into a winemaker who is able to experiment, while making precise and highly drinkable wines. Pol uses indigenous grape varieties like Criolla Grande and Torrontés as well imported varieties like Bonarda and Malbec. Recently he started making wines in Spain too. At the festival we’ll also have some unofficial first vintages to taste of this Spanish adventure.
Distributor: Tuurlijk Wijnen
Not present but represented by distributor (2022 edition)
Guccione (Francesco Guccione)
Sicily, Italy
Francesco Guccione is maybe one of the most interesting winemakers in Sicily. He considers himself first and foremost a farmer. Horses, chickens coop, dogs and Molly, the domesticated pig, are all part of his carefully created eco-system. The winery is located between San Cipirello and Piana Degli Albanesi, in the municipality of Monreale, Sicily, at 500 meters above sea level. All of his wines are both certified organic and biodynamic and he has a clear focus on native grape varieties.
Represented by: Aardig Wijntje
Domaine Geschickt (Aurélie Fayolle & Arnaud Geschickt)
Alsace, France
Straight from the Alsace. Frédéric and Arnaud Geschickt make ‘liberated and alive terroir wines. The family has been making wines for several generations. It was Frédéric who converted to organic and biodynamic farming in 1998. Geschickt produces classic Alsatian wines, Grand Cru’s like Kaefferkopf and Wineck-Schlossberg. While experimenting at the same time with pet-nats, and orange wines. He even made a wine of grapes and cherries: Beetle Juice. Made with tons of precision, these are wines that will age well while begging to be drunk right now.
Represented by: Bolomey
Pacina (Giovanna & Stefano Tiezzi-Borsa)
Tuscany, Italy
In an old Tuscan monastery dating back to 900 A.D. Giovanna Tiezzi-Borsa and her husband Stefano use time-honored techniques to make what we now call natural wine. They eschew modern technology in their winemaking and their cellar has not been touched or altered for generations. Old school became new school. “The wine makes itself,” says Stefano. “Every year has its own character”. And the wines by Pacina have character in spades. Full of life, elegant, complex and easy to drink. Their orange wines are a must try.
Represented by: Angolo Vinoso
Ronco Severo (Stefano Novello)
Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
Located in Friuli Venezia Giulia, equilibrist Stefano Novello bottles his wines under the label Ronco Severo. Bordering Slovenia, the Ronco Severo winery lies in a unique territory, characterized by sandstone soil called “ponca” in Friulian. It’s here where the new orange wine wave originated and it’s no coincidence that Stefano makes an outstanding version. Don’t expect any funk in his wines. These are natural wines that will make a ‘traditional wine drinker’ exclaim: “I can’t believe this is a natural wine!”. The labeling of his wines depict a boy balancing on the chair. It symbolizes the balance in life, there is safety but also risk. Stefano balances on that chair by taking risks with his wines.
Represented by: Bevino
Piana dei Castelli (Matteo Ceracchi)
Lazio, Italy
Located in the commune of Velletri, southeast of Rome in Lazio’s Alban Hills. Matteo Ceracchi and Nicoletta De Angelis run Piana dei Castelli. The couple farm a mosaic of vineyards, spread over eleven different municipalities, at various altitudes and with mostly vulcanic soil types. Expect very exciting, very well made wines. As Matteo says: “My wines are a voyage. Only by going outside the usual criteria can we discover the body, colours, flavours. But also unique aromas and the true essence of the most authentic synergy between nature, the land and culture”. Typical for his style: Extended aging. For example a Sauvignon Blanc that’s aged for 8 years in cement tanks. Funky in the best possible way.
Represented by: Angolo Vinoso
Weingut Weigand (Andi Weigand)
Franconia, Germany
Second-generation winemaker Andi Weigand makes since 2018 natural wines from vineyards on the hill known as Iphöfer Kronsberg. Located between Nuremburg and Frankfurt. Natural winemaking wasn’t always popular in his hometown. However, his father, a talented winemaker, was supportive of his son’s ambitions. The vineyard is certified organic and some vines are older than 50 years. His reds, whites, and rose wines are made with several native grape varieties: Silvaner, Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Scheurebe, Bacchus, and Weissburgunder amongst others.
Represented by: Yanflorijn
Réka Koncz (Annamaria Réka Koncz)
Barabás, Hungary
Winemaker Annamaria Réka Koncz was born in a small Hungarian town called Vásárosnamény. She had a deep interest in nature since childhood. While she dreamed of a career related to nature, she didn’t learn about viticulture or winemaking until her studies at university. After getting her undergraduate degree in Horticultural Engineering from the University of Debrecen. She got her Masters’s degree in Agriculture from the University of Copenhagen. Both her theses were on viticulture. Today, she makes very exciting natural wines with her family in the village of Barabas situated in the eastern part of Hungary. Check her IG page: it’s a personal, and carefully curated account of her life as a winemaker, growing grapes and exploring new places.
Represented by: Yanflorijn
Esteve i Gibert (Josep Esteve)
Catalonia, Spain
Josep Esteve runs Esteve i Gibert with his daughter, Laura Esteve, and son-in-law, Albert Lopez in the D.O. Penedès. Cal Panxa, their large farmhouse has 8 generations of winemaking associated with it. He offers a spectacular view of the Montserrat, the holy mountain of Catalonia. They grow local grape varieties including Xarel.lo, Macabeo, Sumoll Blanc, and Sumoll Negre. There’s a lot to say about these wines, but why not summarize with a quote from a review on Vivino (M. Cats) of their l’Antana wine:…”earthy, blackberries and plums. Mega long finish, super elegant, despite the tannins. Do I have a 50 euro right bank Bordeaux in my glass? Bizarre wine, so good..”
Represented by: WoldeVins
Ochota Barrels (Amber Ochota)
Adelaide Hills, Australia
Taras Ochota and his wife, Amber Ochota, were on a surf trip on the western coast of Mexico when the idea for Ochota Barrels first came into being near the end of the year 2000. Taras Ochota was a bassist who played for punk bands before getting his graduate degree in Oenology from Adelaide University in Australia. His wine-making experience was centered on Italy’s wine regions. Amber had years of experience focused on Italian wines and her career includes the development of vineyards. After traveling together they established their winery, Ochota Barrels in the Adelaide Hills. Sadly Taras passed away 2 years ago. The label is an ongoing reminder of a splendid legacy for natural winemakers in Australia.
Represented by: Arisz et al
Hervé Villemade
Loire, France
Herve’s Villemade makes a wide range of different cuvées, both classic and funky. All of them are stunning examples of natural wines of the Tourraine region (Loire). Farming initially the conventional way. It was in the early 2000s that he tasted wines made by Marcel Lapierre in Beaujolais and Thierry Puzelat at Clos du Tue-Bouef. His eyes were opened and with these two winemakers as his key influences, he started doing things the natural way and converted his land. Farming now (certified) organically. His wines are often made with obscure and rare local grape varieties like Romorantin and Menu Pineau. Fan of super energetic whites? Try Herve’s.
Represented by: Bolomey
