After five years, Australia’s largest natural wine festival Rootstock Sydney has called it quits. Co-founders Giorgio De Maria, Mike Bennie and James Hird have announced that last year’s 2017 Rootstock Sydney Festival was the fifth and final instalment of the trio’s natural wine propagating affair. This unfortunately also means that Rootstock Sydney and Rootstock Tokyo will not go ahead.

A number of factors have led to Rootstock’s closure; namely the lack of ongoing financial support and disagreements between winemakers and event organisers. “The team behind Rootstock also believe they have already fulfilled their goals; with the founders feeling that they have exceeded what they set out to achieve with education, awareness and sharing of culture that surrounds natural wine, concepts of sustainability and understanding of how important provenance and process is in produce,” explained the organisers in a statement. “Rootstock Sydney’s conclusion comes at a point not only where financial support made the festival difficult, and natural wine has shape-shifted, but on a very positive note, at a natural end-point for its aims and ambitions.”

De Maria, Bennie and Hird also took the opportunity to thank those who helped with the event each year; the winemakers, chefs, community, and volunteers involved. “To all the people who inspired us with new ideas in keep changing angle with the festival, evolving and talking about important issues like clean agriculture, local food and native produce; to all the amazing aboriginal people – custodians of thousands of years of knowledge in incredibly respectful agriculture – who keep fighting with words and education for their culture recognition. I loved every year and I wouldn’t change a thing!” says de Maria.