Calendars - Part 21

 Mathieu Lapierre Winery 2014

Mathieu Lapierre's father Marcel Lapierre was described as the "pope of natural wine" in Beaujolais, France.  After Marcel died, Mathieu took over the winery and its tradition of natural winemaking.  Above, the calendar photo for May shows Mathieu in an old wine press.  And no, natural winemaking isn't making wine au naturel.  It's making wine without additives.

Each year at harvest time, the winery does some kind of project to memorialize the vintage, like a documentary photo shoot of the harvesters.

In 2013, the idea for the naked calendar "came to us one night over some drinks," said Mathieu.  It was suggested by one of the harvesters, who was also a photographer.

As the project progressed, more and more of the harvesters volunteered to be in the calendar.

Only 100 copies of the calendar were made.  They were given as gifts to friends, not sold publicly.  But the recipients posted the calendar on the walls of their public establishments, so word of the calendar got out.

The calendar quite fittingly celebrates the winery's practice of natural winemaking.  Maybe they should be making wine au naturel.