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While there seems to be a growing interest
in natural wines, I have the feeling that for
most of us the term natural, when used in
connection with wine, seems a bit redun-
dant. After all, aren’t all wines natural? The
image of the a Gepetto-esque winemaker
surrounded by barrels, hand crafting wines
is probably most likely to come to mind. But
in reality the majority of wine produced is
made in settings more reminiscent of a
refinery than a quaint cellar. Large volume
wineries are often focused on making uni-
form, consistent, reliable and recognizable
brands, and this is often achieved by buying
grapes and wine and then blending, pro-
cessing and manipulating it in the wine-
making process to meet their standards.
Natural winemaking by contrast (a term
with no strict legal definition and thus a bit
controversial), is used to describe wines
that are made with a minimum of interven-
tion from grape to bottle. The philosophy
here often begins with the idea of making
a wine that is a pure expression of the
region, grapes and terroir where they were
grown. These subtle nuances can easily be
lost or masked through over-manipulation
in the winery or vineyard. It all begins in the
vineyard, where the vignerons work by
hand to prune and train the vines and har-
vest the grapes using no chemical herbi-
cides, fertilizers or pesticides. It continues in
the winery with minimal use of additives
and a “hands-off” winemaking technique
that allows the grapes to ferment as natu-
rally as possible, with wild yeasts, minimal
sulphur additions, and leaving the wines
unfined or unfiltered with as little intrusive
handling possible. While sulfur is the most
recognizable additive in wine (because in
the US we have to put it on the label) there
are dozens of chemicals and treatments
that can be used in making wine for the
purposes of microbial and bacterial stabi-
lizition, raising or lowering acidity or alco-
hol levels, and modifying color, tannins,
sweetness and flavor. Wineries employing
natural winemaking practices avoid these
at all costs. Natural wineries tend to be
small, family owned domains, but a grow-
ing demand among consumers has piqued
the interest of larger producers and they
are beginning to take note.
Identifying naturally made wines can be a
confusing proposition. The easiest way is if
the wines are certified organic or biody-
namic. In this case they have met a set of
requirements and have been certified by
the appropriate regulatory agencies, and it
is often on the label. But many wineries
either can’t afford the cost or time required
to become certified, or don’t yet see any
advantage in terms of effect on sales. While
they may make wine naturally, they are not
entitled to identify that easily on the label,
and tend to talk more broadly about “sus-
tainable farming” or “practicing organic”
when describing their wines. The only way
to determine this is from the merchant sell-
ing the wine, the back label on the bottle,
or perhaps on the winery’s website, but
since there is no certification there is a bit
of trust required here.
The last perplexing fact is that being “nat-
ural” doesn’t guarantee the wine’s quality,
only that it was made within a certain set of
guidelines. There are plenty of not so good
naturally made wines, and plenty of deli-
cious wines made in a more commercial
method and in either case conscientious
winemakers can make very good wines.
Whether to buy organic or natural products
is more a matter of personal philosophy,
whether it is eggs or milk or wine. Howev-
er I do find that wines made without chem-
icals and additives, by talented winemakers
at small domains, in as natural a manner
possible, with sound winemaking and a
focus on terroir, are often more interesting,
diverse and exciting, and just might make
me feel a little better about buying them as
well. Cheers!
AU NATUREL - ORGANIC, SUSTAINABLE
AND BIODYNAMIC WINES
By: Christopher Cree MW, 56° Wine
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