#17: Dispelling wine myths | SHALL WE GET A BOTTLE OF NATURAL WINE, DARLING? 😘
Not sure of what low intervention, natural and biodynamic mean? You might not be cool, but let's discuss what these buzz words actually mean.
Belated hello! Hectic week and with studies out of the way, I need to find a way to keep motivated to write for you lovely folks.
Natural wine memes have started to gain traction in the last two weeks. A moment I hadn’t quite been able to articulate, but knew was BOUND to be called out. The Real Housewives of Clapton and Socks House Meeting pages are alight with the irony of supposedly creatives evangelising particular brands, that have now blended into the ordinary. And natural wine has been at the very helm of the discussions.
Top Cuvée merch is Abercrombie and Fitch in Sheeps’ clothing for us millenials as an aspirational brand that’s putting us in a chokehold. Craft beer has reached peak, but now it’s only time before (or already, probably) someone gets a Chin Chin or Gran Cerdo tattoo.
Zeitgeist rant aside, there’s method to my madness. Natural wine is successfully targeting a lot of people who don’t have a clue about wine, nor - actually really enjoy the natural taste. We’ve moved from Campo Viejo, Echo Falls and Castillo del Diablo practically overnight. Etiquette demands pet nat or £40 quid on a bottle of skin contact wine in the pub on a Wednesday.
Being frank, natural wine doesn’t always set me alight. It can come as a shock to those jumping on the bandwagon. Not all, but some natural reds taste like Ribena that’s been open for a week. Whites can quite literally have the cloudiness, colour and nose to a urine infection. Orange wine can be a delicacy, but when it’s overpowering - it’s hard to neck more than a few sips without twitching.
There’s a subcategory between your cheap supermarket bottle of plonk, and this hyper natural hippie dippie natural movement that’s coming out in its droves without much meaning or substance. A well produced, good quality wine that probably costs somewhere in the middle, and a much more authentic expression of the wine.
I have made my case via FAQs below, but I’m always open to the debate or other questions that you may have.
So, what’s natural wine anyway?
As with a lot of industry specific terms, this one’s a little grey and open to interpretation. However, as the name implies, it’s a wine that’s been made in a natural way.
Wine, by its nature, is made… naturally, but the natural wine movement moves away from any process of innovation or speeding processes up. These wines are going to be generally in the rawest form that they can be, which generally mean, but by no means exclusive:
Antioxidants and additives to keep the flavour locked into wine, such as sulfur dioxide are at a bare minimum, or not added for purists. Spraying and pesticide use is also going to be kept to a minimum, or alternative more biodegradable components will be used.
The wine won’t be filtered or clarified before it’s bottled and marketed, so it’s going to have sediment or be notably cloudier.
The yeasts that are used are going to be the ones that live on the grape skins, so no additions or alternative strains are going to be used. This might be a hit or miss game on whether the yeast can process this properly, but it’s said to bring more depth or terroir to the finished product.
You’ll typically have an adjustment for the wine based on acidity or sugar to make the flavours that little bit more balanced. However, this is also stripped out of a natural wine.
For the same grape that you might have been buying from a supermarket, a natural alternative can be VASTLY different in taste and depth. Sometimes this is a good thing, other times this can be quite an acquired taste that isn’t for all.
A good quality wine doesn’t always HAVE to be made in a natural way. Most producers worth their salt and care about the final product will add processes just and when needed, which brings me onto my next topic.
How about low intervention wine?
Low intervention gives a little more flexibility to adapt the wine if things are starting to go South, or it needs a little seasoning. Think of natural wine as a bit like a die hard vegan, while low intervention is going to be a veggie that dips in and out of eating cheese and eggs. There’s nothing wrong with either, you might just not quite always have the most adaptability to make some wines that really aren’t giving you the best depth if you’re on the purely natural spectrum. Natural wine buffs (who actually know what they’re talking about) will enjoy the insipid displeasure but in these cases, a low intervention wine is a better route to go down.
Is organic or biodynamic always better?
Is anything in life guaranteed?
Organic can give a better expression of the fruit, or so it is said. There’s a lot of restrictions on the pesticides and additives that you can use that might hinder the natural expression of the wine. That’s something that you can get away with in warm, hot and dry climates like the South of France or Spain, where there’s little that can get in the way of destroying the crop - so there’s no need to have it in the first place. However, if you get to cooler places like the South of England or the Loire Valley, you might actually need to have a touch of additional backup to ensure that the fruit doesn’t get damaged by mould for instance.
Biodynamic isn’t organic - but follows similar, although more strict principles. I won’t go into the ins and outs of it, but there’s a lot of making up homeopathic potions for the soil, and certain rituals that need to happen according to the lunar cycle or the flight of a bird near the vineyard. It’s pagan kooky, and not the most clear cut in terms of improving a wine, but it’s had a lot of additional TLC in its lifecycle.
Will any of the aforementioned prevent a hangover?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but natural wines too can cause hangovers. Bad ones too, in my experience, so don’t expect them to be watered down.
Debates in the natural wine world can be united by the detest of sulfur, and often cited as the source of a hangover with wine. Sulfur dioxide is the gaseous form that’s used to help prevent bacterial growth and oxygen in the wine making process, to try and lock in a fresher, fruitier flavour if that’s the destined style. It may be sprayed on the grapes before they start to ferment, or might also be added during the fermentation as well.
It may sound artificial and evil, but sulfur dioxide is made naturally by grapes during fermentation, and a few dried apricots often contain more than what a bottle of wine would have. Levels of sulfur are also monitored to make sure they don’t go over a limit that may lead to side effects. Hangovers are caused by the alcohol itself, which isn’t something that’s dampened in natural wine and so, it’s still important to drink in moderation.
So, can cheap wine be good?
It can indeed! There will be some commercially produced super-brand or supermarket wine that will be made in a flash, and taste somewhat like wine, or with lots of sugar to ensure that alcohol is fermented to a particular level. However, there are some really good quality wines out there that you can find on the supermarket shelf that have excellent quality. A few pointers on what will generally give you an idea of what might be a little bit more of a gem, or unique:
You’re not buying from a Tesco Express, Sainsbury’s Local or a cornershop with the brands that you know… are not great. Support a local offy or specialist business who will be more than happy to advise! A larger supermarket gives you a little bit more choice, plus some brands like Aldi and Waitrose really invest in getting the best wines that they can at excellent prices.
Generally, if the wine has more specificity to it than the country it’s been made in. South East Australia or Wine of Argentina can be a bit of a dodgy territory to go with, as the vagueness can hide a multitude of sins. Barossa Valley or Mendoza give a better indication that a wine is from a region of good quality, but there’s always going to be some bad examples there too.
There’s some countries that you’re able to bag a much better bargain for based on the demand and prestige of others. Champagne for example will be sky high in price compared to a Crémant that’s been made in a very similar style, that you can often pick up for a tenner as it can be made by much more regions. South African wines are still building a market so are typically cheap compared to the same quality that you’d find in France, while Romania is banging out some beautiful Pinot Noir at a fraction of the price that you’d typically expect.
Where can I read more about natural wine?
I’ve tried to give a lowdown on natural wine and while I might not seem the most convinced, it certainly has a place in changing the styles and pushing for a higher quality wine when done correctly. I’m hoping that it becomes less of a trend-fad, and people start to just enjoy wine more where they are looking for quality rather than pure status chasing.
Aaron Ayscough on NOT DRINKING POISON is a wealth of knowledge in the natural wine world, and I had the pleasure of attending a tasting he hosted in London around the launch of his new book. It sits happily beside my WSET books and Oxford Companion to wine, and provides an excellent deep dive into the world from wine making, to the suppliers who are changing the industry bit by bit. Link below to an article if you’re interested in learning more!
Great read as always. You give a very balanced opinion which is appreciated.