#48 Natural wine – art or agriculture? Nathaniel Ratapu from Rerenga Wines

Welcome to Regnfang’s new podcast series on natural wine. For those listeners who are already familiar with the Regnfang podcast, this theme might be a bit puzzling. After all, our podcasts normally tap into the topic of the human mind by interviewing scientists, authors, and artists. What does natural wine have to do with this topic?For us, natural wine has everything to do with the human mind—ranging from the work in the fields, the vinification, and the drinking of it. We are personally deep admirers; fascinated by the people who make it and the profound experiences these wines offer.Throughout the years, one question has returned to us again and again: is natural wine an art form, or is it merely an agricultural product? This is an intriguing question. The best answer might be that it is both. Natural wine is clearly an agricultural product. It is produced through the cultivation of the natural environment, through methods such as pruning, plowing, and harvesting. Yet, it also seems to be an artistic product, an art form. Natural wine represents a place, it expresses the spirit of the winemaker, and it offers a deep and multi-modal experience of both perceptual and reflective aspects. That is, natural wine seems to be a unique artistic medium—among other things, because it draws so much on taste and smell, compared to other genres such as music and literature.In this episode, you will meet Nathaniel Ratapu. Nathan runs the wine- and book shop Rerenga Wines in the 10th arrondissement in Paris. The shop is truly fascinating, packed with a wide assortment of inspiring bottles and edgy literature. We highly recommend visiting it if you are around. We talk with Nathan about entering the world of natural wine and how it relates to current political issues on inequality, cultural identity, and the natural environment. Of course, we also ask Nathan whether natural wine is to be understood purely as an agricultural product or also an art form - a question that opens multiple lines of thought. Check out Rerenga Wines on the following: https://www.rerengawines.com/ We hope you enjoy the interview as much as we did!