It is important to understand the natural wine movement when you’re grasping the depths of this wine segment. The following article will unravel the meanings and winemaking technique of natural wines that make it incredibly palatable.
Did you know vintners in America can add up to 60 additives to the wine without having to label them on the bottle? So, you might not be tasting just wine after a lot of swirling and sniffing.
Read on to understand more about these unique wines.
It is important to understand the natural wine movement when you’re grasping the depths of this wine segment. The following article will unravel the meanings and winemaking technique of natural wines that make it incredibly palatable.
Did you know vintners in America can add up to 60 additives to the wine without having to label them on the bottle? So, you might not be tasting just wine after a lot of swirling and sniffing.
Read on to understand more about these unique wines.
Natural Wine Defined
Natural wine is unfined, unfiltered, and without any additives, or commercial yeast. Although this more traditional winemaking process has been existent since time immemorial, it began trending again after the Lebensreform movement that originated in Germany from the 19th to 20th centuries.
Natural wines are made with organically-sourced grapes grown without insecticides, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers, and made from wild or indigenous yeasts. Unfortunately, there aren’t any regulatory bodies that certify these special wines.
How Is Natural Wine Made?
Vin Nature in French means natural wine, where ‘nature’ means nothing extra has been added or eliminated. Put simply, this wine is made without adding anything extra or intervention while in the cellar.
Here are the steps for this type of winemaking:
- Source/grow grapes organically without chemicals.
- Handpick or harvest the grapes with traditional tools.
- Ferment the wine without any addition of yeast (native yeasts).
Keep away from preservatives. - Sulfites may or may not be added.
What Differentiates Natural Wine From Other Wines?
There are many features and distinguishing characteristics that make these wines a premium buy nowadays. Explore more of the special attributes from the list below.
- Additives: These wines are made without any preservatives or additional additives.
- Taste: Vin nature tastes funky with a strong taste of the terroir, unlike the preservatives you taste in commercial equivalents.
- Color: There aren’t any artificial colors in these wines when contrasted with more commercially produced wines.
- Aroma: You will smell sour hues in natural options as opposed to fresh in commercial wines.
- Appearance: Natural wines are cloudy because they contain native yeasts as opposed to commercial yeast.
- Grapes: Made from grapes grown with sustainable agricultural practices as opposed to commercial methodologies.
- Winemaking: From production to bottling, eco-conscious winemaking is vital for these wines.
- Sulfites: A nominal number of sulfites, such as 10 to 35 parts per million are acceptable for natural wines and moreover, sulfites are not added, but naturally occurring.
- Examples:
- Orange wine is an ancient winemaking technique of making the white wine orange, through the inclusion of the skin and seeds of the grapes used to make the wine.
- Pétillant Naturel makes use of the ancient winemaking technique where the wine ferments within the bottle called Méthode Ancestrale with natural fizz.
Where Can You Find The Best Natural Wines?
Looking for the best organic wine club to buy natural wines from? The following list of the top wine clubs will help you uncover the bestselling natural varieties worth trying right away.
The California Wine Club
A 2015 Petit Verdot from Olsen Vineyards Yakima Valley is an organically grown wine with negligible intervention from production to bottling. It has a high ABV of 14.5%. The best thing is that you can age this Petit Verdot for up to 7 years.
Priced at $46 per bottle, this double gold medal-winning wine features limited production of just 260 cases. With hints of vanilla and spice on the taste buds, this beautiful wine from The California Wine Club is best for BBQ.
Plonk Wine Club
The Longavi Glup Chenin Blanc 2018 from Colchagua Valley in Chile is a divine wine priced at $23.75 for each bottle. It’s made with grapes farmed organically without any chemical use. You will taste notes of beeswax and the beautiful terroirubof Chile in this unfined and unfiltered wine from Plonk Wine Club.
Winc
Cherries & Rainbows is a 2022 red wine from Winc with fruity and earthy aromas. It flows with tastes of fig, black, and red cherries on the palate. This natural option is available at $19.99 per bottle for members. On top of 13% ABV, the wine is made with organic and sustainably farmed grapes.
Bottom Line
Natural wines are ancient, yet the favorite of the decade already. It’s made without additives, preservatives, or even intervention with urbane tools. They could be called organic due to the winegrowing grapes and sustainable farming, but natural wines are also unfiltered and unfined often.
When you’re searching for the best natural wines, start from a trusted wine club that can deliver to your door.