WTF is NATURAL WINE?
My opinion on the subject is (feel free to skip this part as it has NO real value) that Natural Wine just makes sense. If you want to express or paint a picture or show a region through some old grape juice why are you trying to add things to change the flavor? I will get roasted by some people for saying that but I don’t care.
If they kick me out of this realm I’ll go back to beer. Beer doesn’t hate me..yet.
Elena Pantaleoni is pretty much the Beyoncé of natural wines.
Let’s Talk about Wine baby...The Natural Kind
I will preface the entirety of this post by saying I AM NO EXPERT ON THE SUBJECT.
I just really, really like drinking the stuff. So much, in fact, that I decided to get myself involved with the only NATURAL WINE importer round these parts. My first question was WTF is NATURAL WINE?
To tell you the truth not many people out there have even heard of Natural Wine let alone know what it is. So let’s get into it.
These guys are doing some absolutely FANTASTIC stuff out in Catalan.
You’ve probably NEVER heard of them.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
The idea about natural wine is more of a philosophy or a concept then a defined “style”. It’s really the truest form of trying to express what the hell that region or grape is all about. It's completely raw or nude, some would argue, it’s by far the best expression of the actual terroir. It also tastes Fucking Fantastic to boot.
My opinion on the subject is (feel free to skip this part as it has NO real value) that Natural Wine just makes sense. If you want to express or paint a picture or show a region through some old grape juice why are you trying to add things to change the flavor? I will get roasted by some people for saying that but I don’t care.
If they kick me out of this realm I’ll go back to beer. Beer doesn’t hate me..yet.
“So now we know what to call it.
FUCKING FERMENTED GRAPE JUICE (FFGJ)...”
THE TERMS
Here is the confusing part of this. THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO SAY “NATURAL WINE”. Let’s get LISTY! *Please make sure you say all of these with THE MOST pretentious French accent you can muster.
Natural Wine
Low Intervention
Naked
RAW
LoFi Wine
Unfiltered
Spontaneous
Minimal
By Hand - FUCK YOU TYLER HARLTON
True Wine
I added that last one, just in case you couldn’t tell, because it's how I say ‘Natural Wine”.
Saskatchewan born Tyler Harlton, is in the last vintages of some great “BY HAND” wines. Get them while you can still find them.
“Side note for all you vegans and veg-heads out there.
Most wine isn’t vegetarian friendly because of the methods used to filter the wine.”
So now we know what to call it. FUCKING FERMENTED GRAPE JUICE (FFGJ)... Let’s explain the incredibly complex process in a simple way - Natural Winemaking is growing and harvesting grapes, juicing those grapes, and letting the juice ferment with whatever yeast is in the air over time until they taste really weird. ITs obviously much more than that but for the sake of argument that's the easiest way to explain it.
The biggest question around is what can actually even be called Natural Wine? Is it made with organic grapes or is it just biodynamic etc? In my humble, non-informed, opinion all that really needs to be looked at is how much shit was added to the wine. Was it a lot of shit? Or just a hint? It is absolutely amazing how much stuff can be added to a wine that is not required to be listed on the bottle.
Most of it would gross you out. Some of it is hardly pronounceable.
In general though most natural wine is exactly what it says it is. Natural. Wild Yeasts (non added), Grapes that are organic, sustainable or biodynamic, and time.
Side note for all you vegans and veg-heads out there. Most wine isn’t vegetarian friendly because of the methods used to filter the wine. They tend to use fish guts and egg whites. Crazy right? So be on the lookout if you’re trying to be conscious about the things that are being added to your food.
She’s FUNKY and FRESH. This little wine has it all. High Altitude and just the right amount of Attitude.
The mass variety of Natural Wines have a lot of things in common with each other. From the volatility of the product to the, generally low amount of sulfites that are added in order to maintain freshness. Don’t even get me started on the idea of a fermented product being fresh HA! These little darlings are truly created in stark contrast with the highly scientific process that has created some of the most consistent wine that we have seen in decades. That being said it really could be the truest expression of the grape in that region, that vintage and by that winemaker in particular.
Now back to the sulfites. This chemical compound is the hot topic of the day. Do they give me the dreaded “Wine Hangover”? Are they really that bad? Most people, me included (until approximately 30 seconds ago), have no idea what sulfites even are. The short of sulfites is they are found naturally occurring in LOTS of edible things. They are also added to products to maintain freshness, keep oxidation away and preserve color. With a low concentration of these sulfites natural wines, generally, should be consumed fairly quickly.
I’m not saying you can’t age natural wines, do it for experimentation purposes, but why would you? The most exciting parts of these natural wines is the volatility in them. From one bottle to the next you could have a completely different experience. Most of the small producers create consistently good, yet wildly different wines, year to year and vintage to vintage. To myself and the people I work with Natural wine is the most exciting thing that I have put in my mouth, swished around my tongue, and gulped down my throat, OF ALL TIME. It's ever changing, truly mysterious and really exciting. That's what I love about Natural Wine. In a nutshell that's what it is.
“Don’t even get me started on the idea of a fermented product being fresh HA!”
RECAP
So to recap in a nice tidy list, so you can tell all your friends how much you now know about the funky stuff.
Small producers - Grapes are grown, usually by independents, at a small scale
Harvest by hand (forgot to mention that)- harvested and grown in environmentally sustainable and much less invasive methods
No added Yeasts - All wild yeasts here!
No Extra Additives - The only thing to add to grape juice is time
Little to no sulfites added- Keeps things exciting so drink them FAST!
“Till next time Space Cowboy”