Our Natural Wine Guide

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OuNrauWtarlnieGudie In Articles by Marloes
Fransen and Andrew Mecoli / 12/11/2018 / Leave a
Comment
Everythnigyouwantedtoknowabout naturawl
nies Whastinaturawl nie? One of the simplest
definitions of a natural wine is nothing added,
nothing taken away. Although there is no legal
definition of how a natural wine is made, there
are a few principles that consistently abide to
the basic idea that wine should be made in the
vineyard, not the cellar no added chemicals, no
added sulfites (or just the bare minimal
amount), no temperature control during
fermentation, no added yeast, no fining or
filtration, and no pesticides or herbicides in
the vineyard. By reducing the winemakers
intervention to a minimum, what is left in the
glass should be the purest expression of the
grapes and the soil, not a manufactured product
built scientifically to appeal to the mainstream
palate. This often results in wines that can be
cloudy and rustic in appearance, and that may
display very earthy and funky aromas on the
nose. While these traits may be off-putting to
some, it is precisely this raw and direct
approach that is particularly appealing to
natural wine aficionados. The idea that each
bottle may differ from the next, and that the
bottles are not coming off an assembly line, is
attracting consumers that are tired of the fake
nature of mass produced products.
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Getting to know about the winemakers philosophy,
is a fundamental value that is impossible to find
in mass produced products.
Fermentaotinwthinaturayleasts Regarding wine,
fermentation is the process of the microorganism
yeast converting the natural sugars in the sweet
grape juice (called must) into alcohol (and the
byproduct carbon dioxide). This is usually a
carefully controlled part of the vinification
process where the winemaker adds a calculated
amount of a selected strain of yeast (either
natural of synthetic). This way, the duration of
the fermentation process and the impact of the
yeast on the flavor of the wine are in the hands
of the winemaker rather than nature. With
natural wines, its philosophy desires quite the
opposite and the objective is to let nature have
the upper hand in creating the wine. Therefore,
no selected and measured out quantity of yeast is
added to the must, but the winemaker rather lets
the natural yeast (that forms a thin matte-like
layer on the outside of the skins of the grapes)
take care of the fermentation by itself. That
usually means it takes longer for fermentation to
start, and it takes longer for the fermentation
process to be completed, sometimes up to several
months instead of a few weeks! The yeast, which
in natural wines is not filtered out before the
wine is being bottled, also adds another flavor
dimension to the wine, which in some natural
wines is more present than in others. BarnyardvsC
. elanaromas One of the main debates in the
wine world when talking about natural wines is
that they are too often flawed, and that leaving
the wine develop on its own devices may lead to
the exposure of defects that the wine industry
has been solving throughout the years with the
aid of technological advances and
research. While there may sometimes be a
tendency in natural wine supporters to justify
wines that are objectively flawed, it is the
imperfections that are admittedly fundamental to
the idea that no wine can ever be exactly
identical from one year
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to the next, and in some cases, from one bottle
to the next. The imperfections give the wine
character. The infamous barnyard smell, for
example, is one of the main elements of
discussion. Because natural wines are fermented
by its own wild yeasts, which are not filtered
out of the wine after the fermentation is
finished, there is often something
characteristically different about the aromas
(and therefore taste) of natural wines, often
described as Barnyard. The barnyard smell is
particularly referencing to the animal products
that can be found on the floor of a barnyard, if
you know what we mean. This personality trait is
created by a kind of wild yeast called
Brettanomyces, or Brett, for short. And although
Brett affecting the aromas of a wine is not per
definition a bad thing - in fact, it can give a
wine a certain rustic funk appreciated by
natural wine lovers too much barnyard in a wine
will make it smell, err, somewhat unappealing!
Istiruethatdrniknignaturawl nies
reducesthersikofgentigahangover? Many natural
wine consumers are drawn to the lower impact
these wines have on our organism, compared to
wines that are treated with chemical additives
and undergo industrial processes. The
low-intervention process of natural winemaking
often leads to wines that contain lower alcohol
levels, barely any sulfites (although every wine
will always contain a small quantity of natural
sulfites) and that are light and easy to
drink. Although it is not scientifically proven,
most natural wine advocates are firm believers
that due to this lighter profile, the risks of
getting a hangover and other negative side
effects, are greatly reduced. While there might
be some truth to this theory, it is still
advisable to always drink in moderation if you
want to make sure you wont have a bad headache
in the morning.
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NaturaWl niesniItayl
The natural wine movement in Italy is in constant
expansion, and it is becoming more common
throughout the country for restaurants to
include a natural wine selection to their wine
lists.
Major cities like Rome and Milan have a
considerable amount of wine bars and shops with
extensive natural wine options, or in some cases
exclusively dedicated to this world. During the
week of the most important wine fair in Italy,
Vinitaly, that is held annually in Verona, two
alternative events focused on natural wines take
place ViniVeri in Cerea and the Vinnatur event
at Villa Favorita. These events are proving to
be so popular that many wine lovers bypass the
main fairgrounds completely and choose only to
attend these. The Vinnatur organization is led
by a trailblazer of the Italian natural wine
world, Angiolino Maule. He is a winegrower from
the Soave area in Veneto, and has been at the
forefront of the Italian natural wine movement
for many years. In an effort to establish common
ground and regulations within the winemakers of
his organization, in 2018 he established a
charter outlining the main principles and
regulations that all winemakers must follow in
order to be part of Vinnatur. The staples of
natural winemaking such as low sulfite levels,
hand picking of the grapes, and no added
chemicals, were all included.
Naturawl nieswordlwdie This sort of charter was
also created in other countries due to the lack
of any official, government-recognized set of
regulations. Among the associations worldwide
that serve this purpose a few of the main ones
are Les Vins S.A.I.N.S. (Sans Aucun Intrant Ni
Sulfite Without Any Additives Or Sulfites),
France. LAssociation des Vins Naturels,
France. Asociación de Productores de Vinos
Naturales, Spain. RAW Wine, USA, UK and
Germany A great way to get familiar with the
wines from these different organizations is to
attend the numerous natural wine events that are
organized throughout the year in most major
cities. For a very reasonable fee, it is possible
to taste directly from the producers hands, and
in the meantime personally learn about their
background and ideals.
Whastithedfeirencebetweennatural
wniesandorganci,boiolgciaolr boidynamciwnies? Bio
logical and organic wines are certified labels
and the winemaker has to comply with the rules
and regulations set by
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the organization that certifies the wines. It is
a kind of membership that the winemaker
subscribes to and pays a fee for. The standards
for producing a biological wine are slightly
milder than for organic wines, with the latter
strictly forbidding the use of any synthetic
fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides in the
vineyard or the addition of sulfites to the
wines (with the exception of Europe and Canada,
where the level of sulfites cannot exceed 100
parts per million (ppm) for red wines and 150
ppm for white wines). Biodynamic wines are also
certified, but they take it even further than
organic wines, not just setting rules that are
science related, but also adopting regulations
related to a certain wine making philosophy
established by the Austrian academic and
philosopher Rudolph Steiner in the late 20s which
connects the yearly agricultural cycle of a
vineyard to the lunar cycle and the position of
the sun and the planets in a spiritual way. The
superior quality of a biodynamic wine compared to
an organic wine cannot be proven scientifically,
but rather spiritually the way the philosophy of
religion can have a positive effect on people.
Natural wines mostly live outside all of the
established borders of organic, biological and
biodynamic winemaking. Natural winemakers often
also choose to purposely not abide by the rules
of their official regional and government-
certified denominations, in order to produce
wines that do not follow the common traits that
are officially recognized as typical of these
areas. While official area recognition is still
an important factor that can add value and
prestige to a wine, these producers choose to
prioritize what they consider more true and
honest to the grape and soil. Growing interest in
the natural wine movement is proving that there
is a large amount of wine consumers that seem to
agree with this idea.
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Ourecommendaotins
Italian winemakers traditionally work as close to
nature as possible and believe that the
representation of the local terroir and
character of the grape itself should be the most
important aspects of a wine, not human
interference.
The craft and art of winemaking has usually been
passed on from generation to generation, dating
back to a time where modern technology was not
yet available. And although some modern equipment
has been introduced in the wineries nowadays,
these traditional producers never took such a
scientific approach to winemaking as many new
world wineries do. That being said, natural
winemaking is a completely different philosophy,
and one that has recently gained much popularity
in the world, including Italy. Here are a few
picks from our personal list of favorite Italian
natural wine producers. Please note that we are
only highlighting a few of the innumerable great
wineries that are currently available on the
market. FrankCornesislen The rose wine
Susucaru, from producer Frank Cornelissen, has
been gaining popularity in the wine world due to
the support and enthusiasm of US rapper/TV
gourmet personality, Action Bronson. Admittedly,
this is a rather refreshing twist on the usual
big-money, big-champagne imagery usually
associated with the hip hop world. In this case,
the rapper is definitely onto something
special. Cornelissen, a Belgian living on Mount
Etna in Sicily, was inspired to start making wine
by a trip to Georgia, where he tasted the
amphora-aged, traditional orange wines of the
area. With no experience in winemaking, he bought
land in Sicily, on the Etna volcano, started
making wine, and rapidly became one of the most
respected (and controversial) producers in the
wine world. A firm advocate of no-intervention
winemaking procedures and letting nature run its
course, his wines initially tended to be very
unstable and inconsistent from bottle to bottle,
but after years of experience and fine-tuning,
his wines now have reached a beautiful balance
between the more wild and rustic elements, and a
sharp, focused elegance. The refreshing and easy
to drink Susucaru and Contadino wines, together
with his numerous single vineyard bottlings,
such as his Munjebel line and the rich and
powerful Magma, are currently some of the most
sought after bottles by wine lovers
worldwide. EmdioiPepe Abruzzo had always been
known as a region where wine was produced based
on quantity, not quality. For this reason, when
estate owner Emidio Pepe decided in 1964 to stop
selling grapes destined for mass produced,
low-quality wine, and started making low-yield
wines following groundbreaking strict biodynamic
procedures, most of his fellow wine producers
and vineyard owners thought that he had lost his
mind. Pepes gamble paid off well, and he is now
one of the most legendary and respected producers
of the natural wine world. The longevity of his
Montepulciano red wines, and his Trebbiano
whites, have been impressing even the most jaded
wine lovers throughout the years.
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His wines are funky and complex, and sometimes
they tend to give in to their more earthy and
wild side. This makes them in some cases
somewhat difficult to fully appreciate,
especially to wine drinkers with little
experience with natural wines. But if you are
lucky enough to open an aged Pepe Montepulciano
from a good vintage, or one of his lean, crisp
and acidic Pecorino or Trebbiano white wines,
the rewards will be great! PaolBea The Paolo
Bea winery is located right on the outskirts of
the small town of Montefalco, Umbria, famous for
its highly structured and tannic Sagrantino
wine. The estate has been in the Bea family since
the 1500s, and is nowadays at the forefront of
the natural wine movement. Montefalco wines are
known for their dark fruit and powerful profile,
usually highlighting strength over elegance. Bea
has somehow managed to tame the wild and rustic
Sagrantino grape, known to be of the most tannic
grape varieties in the world, into a more
refined and subtle version. One of his top
bottlings, the Pagliaro, is a truly remarkable
interpretation of a Sagrantino wine. If left to
age for at least five years, it begins to lose
some of its impenetrable, though characteristics
so commonly found in a Montefalco wine, and
displays a more herbal and floral
profile. Sagrantino was traditionally vinified
as a sweet red wine, and that tradition continues
today in the form of the Sagrantino Passito. If
you get the chance, dont pass up the opportunity
of tasting Paolo Beas deeply concentrated but
not overly sweet version.
Ohtenroatbelnautrawlnieafvoetrisrof,mnohrtot
souht Cascina degli Ulivi, Piemonte Bressan,
Friuli-Venezia Giulia La Biancara, Veneto Podere
Pradarolo, Emilia-Romagna I Botri di
Ghiaccioforte, Toscana Ca Sciampagne,
Marche Le Coste, Lazio Cantina Giardino,
Campania A Vita, Calabria Natalino Del Prete,
Puglia
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Vino di Anna, Sicilia
Our natural wine guide is lovingly written by
Andrew Mecoli Marloes Fransen
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