Whether you think it’s hipster fodder or here to stay, there’s no denying the momentum and magnitude of the natural wine movement
In today’s wine world there exists two different schools of thought, each with their own icons and ideals. On one side, the traditionalists—fans of big Bordeaux and Napa, those who veer away from words like natural and funk.
Then there is the new guard, the natural wine movement. Its subscribers avoid sulphur, chemicals, additives or other overly unnatural manipulations in the vineyard or winery. They drink red wines nestled into ice buckets and bronze wines the colour of polluted skies. You know, funky things.
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The topic is, in short, divisive. Subscribers to the natural movement find the best wines in the category are pure, earnest representations of the land they come from. Haters reduce natural wine to something faulty or funky.
I consider myself classical in the taste camp, but natural in ethos—I like nice things, but ride for those paying dues to their land. And much to popular belief, those two things can exist at the same time. I love the exacting, expressive Chablis of Clos Beru, Madson’s high-elevation Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, is all natural, non?
Let’s leave this debate to another time, another column. We can all agree there’s a large chasm between the world of traditional and natural wine. And regardless of what side you stand on, one day you will be sitting at a wine bar, looking at a wine menu riddled with words like carbonic maceration, concrete egg aging and chilled red. How do you survive? What’s zero-zero? Will I hate all orange wine?
(Photo Credit: Abel Mitja Varela – Getty Images)
If you’re someone who feels more at home amongst premiere crus or California pinots, here’s how to survive the natural wine bar:
The lingo
Natural: Natural is a difficult term in wine because it’s not a dictionary defined term–it’s not sulphur levels, filtration efforts, or farming practices. Instead, natural wine is much more of a feeling, a vibe. It’s the opposite of high-intervention, the wine equivalent of shopping at a farmer’s market over Loblaws, or Amazon.
As Aaron Ayscough describes in his book, “The World of Natural Wine,” “Natural wine is wine with nothing to hide. Organically farmed grapes, fermented, aged, and bottled without the use of additives, filtration, or transformative corrective procedures. It’s wine that maintains its traditional—and crucial—link to nature. This sets it apart from most wine on the market today, which has been stripped of its origins by intensive agriculture and invasive winemaking.”
Pet-nat: A very old-school way of carbonating wine in one fell swoop. The bubbles are wilder (and rather unpredictable) but the flavour is richer and deeper—like putting your favourite wine through your Soda Stream (a complement!).
Carbonic-macerated: A winemaking process where uncrushed grape bunches are left to ferment, giving way to a style of wine with more levity and fruitiness. It’s what gives Beaujolais its signature bounciness. In its boldest, it tastes like bubble gum or crunchy vanilla, though winemakers will also employ carbonic maceration in smaller doses to add a slight lift to a wine.
Unfiltered: Most wines are filtered before bottling to remove the yeasts and sediments that are born from the process. Unfiltered wines could be hazier or have sediment at the bottom of the bottle (similar to good kombucha).
Glou-glou: French for glug-glug, this will go down easy. It’s not serious, and you don’t need it to be.
Skin-contact: A process that finds grapes left on the skins for longer than normal. In its lightest of applications, it adds structure to a white wine. Gone wild, it gives a wine a glimmering, bronzed orange hue and savoury notes.
Organic: There are many ways a wine can be natural, including biodynamic or organic grape growing. To be certified organic, a wine must meet its local criteria for both farming and production. Typically, this means eschewing synthetic products in the vineyards and protecting natural resources.
Regenerative: A step beyond organics, this certification asks vintners to not only maintain their land but actively make it better through carbon capture and soil regeneration. That also includes treating your workers well, and ensuring your employees are paid fair wages and offered insurance and HR.
Biodynamics: Extends beyond organics and asks vintners to treat the earth like a living organism. Some of it is serious—using soil supplements, animals, cover cropping, and crop rotations to increase fertility of the land. It also includes more philosophical principles, like harvesting based on the lunar calendar.
Natural is a difficult term in wine because it’s not a dictionary defined term.
How to jump on the natural wine bandwagon
Learn the lingo: The sommelier or server is there to help. I swear! Pick a colour and a vibe then lean on them for direction. If you’re adverse to funk, ask for something classic, conventional or clean.
Remember what you like: This doesn’t mean listing out bottles or producers. Give yourself a few easy buzzwords to tell your server based on what you usually drink—white, red, fruity, salty, grassy, tannic, big, not too oaky. Or list regions or styles you like—sauvignon blanc or pinot noir. New Zealand, Spain, California.
If you like Napa cabs say so, but try and pinpoint what about the wine you love. Is it the boldness? The concentration? The muscular structure?
If you’re a star student, take a picture of something you loved, and save it in a designated folder on your phone. Unveil when needed. A good sommelier will recommend accordingly.
Learn distributors: Importer-distributors will also have a small note or separate sticker to indicate wines they represent. If you like a wine, make a mental note of who brought it in. If you find a second wine you love and they’re behind it, head to their website: chances are, their palate matches yours and you’ve got a cheat-sheet on your next favourite bottle.
Try a taste: If you’re just ordering a glass (not bottle), ask for a sip to confirm you won’t hate a wine. If you don’t dig it, try and figure out why—is it just not your jam? What were you really craving?
Keep an open mind: I’ll be the first to admit that there are many natural wine bottles that I find mousy or riddled with volatile acid. Equally, there are many conventional wines I find cloying, unbalanced, or brash. Try and displace yourself from place and premise—you’re not looking to fall in love, you’re just trying to have one nice glass of wine. Don’t take it so seriously. It’s grape juice, after all.
– Kate Dingwall is a contributing editor with VineRoutes
