What’s the deal with natural wines?

Natural wine is a term that’s been getting thrown around a bit more of late – with many people getting confused by what the phrase actually means.

Firstly, do not confuse natural wine with sustainable, organic or biodynamic wines – these sound very similar but are by no means interchangeable. Certified organic wine is legally regulated, whilst wines labelled as “sustainably produced” do not have to follow the same regulations. Biodynamic wines try and minimise additives, but incorporate additional old-fashioned practices into their winemaking techniques; such as following the astrological and lunar calendar.

Over the last few years, people have embraced artisanal and organic sensibility into many aspects of their daily lives – it makes sense that this would include alcoholic beverages at some point. Natural wine is perfect for those out there who want to appreciate the grapes the way nature would have intended, with as little human intervention as possible.

In order for wine to be classified as natural, it should contain minimal additives and use organic grapes that have been farmed using biodynamic methods. This is a system of agricultural methods that work to restore and maintain the overall health of the soil, as well as emphasising crop diversification and the avoidance of harmful chemical soil treatments. It views the fertility of the soil, animal and plant health as essential factors that are intertwined parts of the same end goal.

For natural wines, the time in the cellar is very straightforward – very little is done to natural wine to alter its original state. Many conventional wines use filtration methods to clarify or to stabilise what’s in the bottle, natural wines can be cloudy or ever so slight effervescent and some sediment may remain in the bottle.

The flavour of natural wines may not be to everyone’s tastes, but for those who consider themselves to be natural wine aficionados, the flavours are spectacular as they are a lot more raw and less ‘made’ – they incorporate interesting styles which are increasingly fashionable at the moment. Many will also attest that they would rather have something a little funky tasting instead of something really bland where everything has been filtered away.

There are obviously going to be some faulty natural wines, as natural winemaking doesn’t involved processes which will polish out these flaws. However, good producers that are using good quality grapes are making wines with brilliant purity. As awareness in this style of wine increases, people are after something that is cleaner tasting, and are finding wines that are pure and delicious in the process.

If you’ve never tried natural wine before, go to your local stockist and ask lots of questions! Some other advice is to stick to what you know you already like in regular wine, as you’re still going to like the same characteristics in natural wine. For example, if you like crisp whites, that’s not going to change!

In the most basic theory, natural wine is wine that has been produced with minimal additives or chemicals. Natural wine is the chance to enjoy a grape you already love, whilst getting to know it in an entirely new way.