Isabelle Legeron grew up in a family that has farmed grapes for Cognac for generations; as a child, she helped with pruning, trellising and the harvest. She went on to become France’s first female Master of Wine, then turned away from a conventional career to champion transparency in winemaking. In 2012 she founded RAW WINE, now the world’s largest community of low-intervention, organic, biodynamic and natural wine producers, with fairs from New York and Los Angeles to Paris, Copenhagen and Tokyo. This year she is due to receive the Légion d’honneur for her service to French wine.
When I met her at the New York fair, her spirit was infectious. After all these years, she still marvels at how much remains unknown about plants, microbes and fermentation, and at the pure joy of opening a bottle from a grower she’s never heard of. Her hope is that one day, natural will simply become the new conventional.
The Work
RAW WINE brings growers and drinkers face to face. Growers pour their own wine, many of them traveling from small farms across Europe and beyond. Standards are strict: wines must come from well-farmed vineyards and carry the life of the vineyard into the glass, with very low added sulfites and no sterile filtration. This year’s New York fair added Distributor Discovery, a new area connecting growers and drinkers with the importers who bring their wines to the U.S., and featured rare bottles like pre-phylloxera Albariño from Constantina Sotelo and amphora-aged Zibibbo from Bbirbiciu on Pantelleria.
Why It Matters
Isabelle’s philosophy starts in the ground: natural wine is only as alive as the vineyard it comes from. She notes that visitors no longer come to RAW out of curiosity alone. They come for real human contact, not an Instagram selfie moment. In a time when so much can be generated in seconds, a room full of people pouring what they grew is its own argument for authenticity. And rather than abandon the word “natural” as the market cools, she calls for doing the work honestly and helping drinkers tell the real thing from the imitation.
“There is no justification for poor farming.”
Support This Work
RAW WINE hosts fairs worldwide that connect drinkers, buyers and importers with independent growers. Upcoming fairs:
* Montréal: November 14–15, 2026
* Berlin: November 29, 2026
* Paris: February 14–15, 2027
* Bologna: February 21–23, 2027
* Tokyo: May 9–10, 2027
* Shenzhen: May 14–15, 2027
→ Visit RAW WINE
Isabelle’s book, Natural Wine: An Introduction to Organic and Biodynamic Wines Made Naturally, is an accessible guide.
→ Read the book
