Interview with Anders Frederik Steen in Log 59

Since the publication of Log 34: The Food Issue, in 2015, there has been an increased urgency to rethink our food systems and the way we eat to address the major environmental, social, and economic concerns facing us. Eleven Madison Park, one of the most highly acclaimed fine dining restaurants, transitioned to plant-based menus following the pandemic and partnered with a nonprofit to provide meals to food-insecure districts in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. A new generation of younger, highly conscious chefs also displays a radical awareness of their role in stewarding a better tomorrow by providing healthy, simple, creative, and locally sourced fares. Their impact on their communities and on the planet are the only stars they are after.

Underpinning this new wave is another movement that has been steadily growing over the past decade: natural wines. Natural wines are typically made using only native yeasts and grapes grown without the use of pesticides or other additives. Anders Frederik Steen started his journey as a winemaker in 2013 and has since become a cult figure in the field. Transcending the concept of vintages, each of his wines has its own arresting name printed on the bottle’s iconic plain white labels in Times New Roman, bold. “When a piece of rice paper hits the glow of a cigarette.” “Don’t throw plastic in the Oceans, Please.” In 2022, he published Poetry Is Growing in Our Garden, his field notes between 2013 and 2020. Steen lives in the Ardèche region of France where he and his wife, Anne Bruun Blauert, produce some of the most unique and delightful wines I’ve ever tasted. We spoke over a video call in mid-July, as he was readying the pressoir for the upcoming harvest.