The world of wine can sometimes be a bit intimidating. Especially when you start looking into organic, biodynamic and natural wines. And sometimes even more confusing: what is the difference? So we thought we would help you out by giving a simple overview of them all. Next up: natural wine.
What is natural wine?
If you have been dabbling around in bio organic and biodynamic wine you eventually will run into natural wine. Or maybe you already have. And this is where it can get a bit tricky. So what is natural wine? To us, natural wine comes from hand-harvested grapes from organic or biodynamic vineyards, it has been fermented on native yeasts, made without sugar, acid, tannin or stabilizing additions and has been bottled unfiltered, unfined and without (or with a minimal) addition of sulfites. So it’s wine with the absolute minimal invention needed to create it. Natural wine is pure, energizing and alive. That energy in the wine can sometimes turn it into something funky. Something enjoyable, sometimes too much. Navigating your way through what’s good and what just went bad can be difficult. But that’s what we are here for 🙂
How do I know if something is natural wine?
Like we said, navigating your way through what is organic, biodynamic and natural wine can be difficult. And unfortunately there isn’t a certification for what makes a wine a ‘Natural wine’. But what about that big old logo that says ‘Methode Vin Nature’ you ask? Well, there are some producers in France that have set up their own certification. It has been growing steadily and more producers around France are adapting the logo and certification. It’s split up into two labels. One for wines that have no sulfites added at bottling and one for wines that have <30mg added at bottling. It will help consumers navigate their ways a little bit. But that’s just France and natural wines are being produced all over the world. So for now, the best way to find out if something is natural wine: read up on it. Check out our website or head on over to your neighborhood bottle shop. Get to know the producer because that’s the only way to know what is really going on!
