What is Natural Wine? (Should You Try it?)

“What is natural wine?” “Is natural wine what it sounds like it is?” “Is natural wine good?”

Have these questions stuck in your head? Well, you do not need to worry. It will be all about natural wines today. With that, we will answer all these natural wine questions and much more today!

We have tons to get through today. So, without further ado, let us get started!

Natural Wine: What Is It?

Natural wine, quite literally, is not your typical wine in more ways than one.

There is no official definition for natural wines. However, to put it simply, natural wines are wines that underwent the simplest of winemaking processes. That is only a way to sum them up, though. Let us take a closer look at these wines in the following parts.

How Is a Natural Wine Made?

In getting to know these wines, it only seems right to start at the beginning. With that, let us look at how they get made.

It might come as a surprise. However, the rules and regulations for making natural wines start at the vines. Additives (e.g., pesticides) that help the vine (hence, the grape) one way or another get cut off from the process as much as possible.

After that, it continues in the cellars. Again, additives (e.g., sulfites) get cut out from the process as much as possible.

Ideally, additives get totally omitted from the process. However, sometimes, that is not possible. In such cases, keeping them to a minimum would do.

The absence of additives is not the only attribute of natural wines, though. The resistance to omissions is also a practice in the winemaking process of natural wines. That is, steps like filtering and fining get limited if not omitted.

With all that, one could say the total elimination of manipulation in the process is the defining characteristic of making natural wines.

The Characteristics of a Natural Wine

Now that we got the winemaking process down. Let us get to know what these wines offer.

As you can see from the previous part, generally, these wines get as little help as possible. With that, one should not expect them to be perfect.

Natural wines do not have the most appealing first look or smell. These wines will often look cloudy. To add, they could have an unpleasant scent upon opening. (We will get back to this matter later.)

Like non-natural wines, there are also many types of natural wines. With that, we would not be able to describe every single one here. Generally, though, these wines sport a sour and yeasty flavor.

The Natural Wine and Its Many Names

Before we continue, it might be best to note that these wines go by many different names. If what we talked about sounds familiar but you have never heard of natural wines before, you might have met them under one of these names:

• Living Wine
• Raw Wine
• Naked Wine

It would depend on who you are talking to, but these names generally refer to the same thing.

Are Natural Wines and Organic Wines the Same?

When discussing edibles, organic and natural almost always mean the same thing. With that, it is not surprising that many wonder if that is the case with natural and organic wines.

Well, the answer to the question is: not exactly. On one end, all natural wines are organic wines. However, not all organic wines are natural wines.

Both require using organic grapes. However, the reason all natural wines are organic wines when the reverse is not true is that it is only one of the requirements of the former. On the other hand, it is the only requirement of the latter.

Things to Keep in Mind with a Natural Wine

We now know what natural wines are. However, there are a few more things to know about these wines! Let’s talk about them here!

A Natural Wine Needs Extra Care

In many ways, natural wines are similar to non-natural wines. However, in the same way, they are also different from these wines. Now, one way that gets emphasized is through their care.

You want to care for natural wines in the same way you would other wines. However, you want to be more careful with them. That is because they are a little more fragile and sensitive. Keep a closer eye on them.

A Natural Wine and Its Appearance and Scent

As we have said above, natural wines do not have the most appealing first look or smell. You do not need to worry, though. It does not always mean you have a poor-quality bottle on your hands.

For one, one could trace the cloudy appearance of these wines back to the lack of filtering and fining. As we have said earlier, these steps often get omitted in making these wines.

On the other hand, one could trace the unpleasant scent back to the lack of sulfites in these wines.

However, while you should not expect a bottle to clear up, you can expect the smell to go away after some time.  (If it does not, then it might be the time to wonder if you have a bottle that has gone bad on your hands!)

Should You Try Natural Wines?

With all that, you might now be wondering if natural wines are wines you should give a try. Well, let us answer that here!

Natural Wines and Their Reputation

If you did some digging, you might already know that natural wines do not have the best reputation.

Many do not like these wines. We suggest not letting the opinion of others sway you from taking a sip of these wines, though. In other words, do not limit yourself solely based on others’ words!

To add, as you already know, people have different preferences. What they do not like, you might. You are the only one who can say if natural wines are for or not for you. Do not count these wines out before you even try them!

Natural Wines and Terroirs

One of the best reasons to try natural wines is because they are good candidates for showing the terroir of a place.

As we have already established above, one of the main characteristics of these wines is the lack or total elimination of manipulation. With that, as you can expect, these wines have nothing to boast but their natural beauty.

Natural Wines and Going Green

If you are all for nature and going green, natural wines should make it to your list of preferred drinks.

Again, as we have said earlier, the absence of additives is one of the defining characteristics of natural wines. To add, that starts at the vines.

With that, pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals that can harm nature get omitted from the process. So, while these wines are not directly green, they can help you go green with your choices.

Natural Wines and Your Health

If there is one thing you should not try natural wines for, it is if you want a healthy drink. It is not particularly unhealthy. However, it is not as healthy as many believe it to be.

Often, when we see or hear the word “natural,” we assume it is a healthy choice. With that, it is not surprising many have concluded that natural wines are better choices than the other types for health reasons. However, that is not the case with these wines.

Some argue that these wines are healthier due to the lack of sulfites, which many believe causes problems like hangovers.

However, there does not seem to be significant evidence proving this. Instead, some argue that natural wines could be unhealthier than other types as they are unfiltered and unfined.

These are only examples of why some believe these wines are healthier or unhealthier than other types. However, generally, these wines are not healthier or unhealthier than non-naturals.

5 Natural Wines to Try

With all that, you might want to get your hands on some natural wines now. After all, as we say here, the best way to know a wine is to experience it! That is, see, smell, and taste it! Well, you do not have to worry. We have some natural wine recommendations for you here!

• Martha Stoumen Post Flirtation Red
• Donkey & Goat New Glou
• Milan Nestarec Bum Bum Cha
• Maison Crochet Pét Native Gamay
• Kobal Bajta Rosé Haloze Pét Nat

Keep in mind that these are only examples. Do not limit yourself to these wines. Do not worry if you cannot find them! Have a look around your local wine shop to see if they have other natural wines for you to try out!

Final Words

What is natural wine?

Today, we answered what natural wine is and got to know it in detail. We hope we help you get to know natural wines.

However, natural wines are not the only ones worth knowing! Now, do you want to get acquainted with other wines? Well, you can check out our other talks!