With transatlantic bases in Austria and New York, Karakterre is the world’s leading wine festival and community, showcasing organic, biodynamic, and natural wines, as well as the farming practices of Central and Eastern Europe.
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Karakterre 15
“If we wish to drink super delicious coffees in the future we have to make sure the farmers are getting more of the value than today. Increasing their revenue is in our own interest as that’s what allows the farmers to produce better quality. If we get better quality our customers are happier and it generates more money we can then bring back to the farmers. A positive spiral where we all win.”
Marko Kovac talks with Coffee Collective co-founder and a key figure in the world of coffee today, Klaus Thomsen.
DECANTER (UK)
The World’s Top Chefs Embrace Natural Wine
by Clive Purhouse
Natural wine stands as one of the rare wine categories showing economic growth, having become mainstream in global markets from London and Paris to New York and Tokyo.
While a universal definition remains elusive, natural wine is no longer just a trend or passing fancy.
Decanter’s North American Editor Clive Pursehouse talks to some of the world's most famous chefs, who are moving natural wine to the centre of the table.
WINE ENTHUSIAST (USA)
The Best Wine Festivals in America, According to Drink Pros
by Janice Brockenberry
“More than just a chance to sip natural wines, this annual festival—which also occurs in the spring in Austria—gives American consumers the chance to discover new lesser-known styles and bottles, Central and Eastern European grape varietals and wines that are rarely seen in the States.”
NEW WINE REVIEW (USA)
The Basics of Blaufränkisch
by Jason Wilson
“I believe that Blaufränkisch—a cool-climate red with relatively low alcohol levels, not too oaky, incredibly food-friendly—personifies what it means to call a wine “drinkable.” I’m baffled that more people have not embraced it.”
KARAKTERRE JOURNAL
Karakterre Podcast with: Justin Chearno
by Aleks Zecevic
Justin Chearno was one of the pioneers of the natural wine movement and a founding partner at The Four Horsemen, a Parisian-inspired bistro in Brooklyn.
He curated one of the country’s most respected wine lists. In 2022, it was awarded as the Outstanding Wine Program by the James Beard Foundation.
Chearno relentlessly worked on raising a new generation of wine professionals, sharing knowledge, bottles and taking them on international trips of research and discovery. He continuously worked on his own expertise, exploring different wine regions, such as those of Austria and Central-Eastern Europe.
Karakterre’s Aleks Zecevic interviewed Justin during the event’s tasting in Eisenstadt, Austria, in May 2024.
The conversation was recorded a few months before Chearno’s untimely passing on August 22, 2024, at the age of 54.
SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE OR CLICK ON THE VIDEO BELOW
(Photo: The Four Horsemen)
TRAVEL + LEISURE (USA)
Natural Selection
by Kevin West
The low-intervention bottles I sampled were faultless and refined, with none of the barnyard aromas, kombucha fizz, andsour-grape tang tolerated by vintners in other, less exacting corners of the world.
By the end of the trip, it occurred to me that Austria may well be the world’s most approachable gateway to natural wine.
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