photo by Alexandra Gavillet
Some people love it, some actually hate it, but what is really about it?
When talking about natural wines, it is not really about a specific
quality of wine, but rather the principles of wine making. The essence
of the idea of natural wines is that they are produced with minimal
interference in the natural processes of grapes.
No added yeast,
spontaneous fermentation, no filtration, which involves the use of
additional products. So such wines can be cloudy, have a specific taste
and aroma.
Natural wine might be organic, but a wine can be labelled organic without also adhering to the specific, hands-off processes that classify natural wines. Another issue is that it is usually about a particular philosophy, values, and outlook.
“The most excellent wine is one which has given pleasure by its own
natural qualities, nothing must be mixed with it which might obscure
its natural taste.”
"In its truest form, it is wine that protects the microcosm of life in the bottle in its entirety, keeping it intact so that it remains stable and balanced."
- Isabelle Legeron MW, the first French female to become the Master of Wine.
The "natural wine" term is not very correct because it can create an impression that other wines are not natural, which is not true. It is not about the nature of such wines, but about the fact that they are created with minimal interference in the production process, that is why instead of "natural" wine it is better to say "with minimal interference" – low intervention. Why did wines start to be called natural? At one point in history of winemaking it was necessary to think of the term that would describe the movement of this type of winemakers, and someone in America came up with the name. Now some manufacturers do not want to use this term and emphasize that they create a low interval wine.
• • •
Want to sound like a natural-wine natural? Here is your cheat sheet:
Organic wine: Basically, minimum of machine intervention, and maximum of respect for nature.
The biodynamic approach: Includes principles like taking into account moon phases (yes. lunar calendar is as essential thing for winemakers) + organic and homeopathic fertilizers + planting additional plants on vineyards that protect grapes and work as fertilizers + hand-picking and manual work.
Glouglou: French slang for light red wine that is so chuggable it glou-glou-glous all the way down your gullet.
Skin Contact: When a white is fermented like a red, with the grape skins, a.k.a. orange wine or “what the hip kids are drinking right now.”
Pét nat: The type of wine is made using a centuries-old technique — winemakers bottle the wine before fermentation completes.
Coded by Valeria!