WHAT IS NATURAL WINE?

The concept of natural winemaking has been around a while - Prince Ilia Chavchavadze from Georgia in the late 19th C wrote a number of articles in reaction to contemporary critics of the day denigrating natural winemaking practices. Perhaps what is different about the practice of natural winemaking today is the degree of popularity it has garnered in the past 50 years. 

Jules Chauvet: the godfather of Natural Wine

Isabelle Legeron tells us in her book 'Natural Wine: An Introduction to Organic and Biodynamic Wines Made Naturally’ - ‘there is no single individual to whom the movement can be attributed, as examples exist all over the world of people who resisted modernising trends.’ Jules Chauvet (1907-1989), a winemaker from France, is a good example of how natural wine started with individuals working alone and then developed into communities. Chauvet was the fourth generation in his family to make wine taking over the family negociant business in the late 1920s when his father passed away. Chauvet also had a passion for scientific research. He is known for his research with respect to yeasts, malolactic fermentation and carbonic maceration and he developed a pneumatic cooling system to control temperature during the fermentation process. In the early 1950s he discovered that he preferred wine with no added sulfur and adopted the practice in his winemaking. Tim Atkins outlines Chauvet's formula in his Saveur article 'The New Beaujolias':  'start with old vines, pick grapes very late, select grape bunches carefully to eliminate rotten berries, ferment at cool temperatures with no sulfur dioxide and with natural yeasts, give the wines barrel age, and then bottle them without fining or filtration.’ Most steps in his process are from traditional methods except for the use of a pneumatic cooling system. Chauvet combined practical experience with scientific knowledge.

Jacques Néauport met Chauvet in 1978, impressed with the quality of his wine and his use of traditional methods, he worked with Chauvet at his domaine for two vintages. Among the first winemakers that Néauport introduced to Chauvet was Marcel Lapierre. Lapierre took over his family’s domain in 1973. He eventually realized that the modern methods of winemaking were producing wines he did not like. Marcel began following Chauvet’s example with his 1981 vintage. Kermit Lynch, an American wine agent, tells us in ‘Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France’ 25th Anniversary Edition that Marcel Lapierre then introduced Chauvet’s methods to his fellow winemakers – Jean Foillard, Guy Breton and Jean-Paul Thévenet. Lynch dubbed this group of winemakers ‘The Gang of Four’. They, following Chauvet, dedicated themselves to traditional methods of viticulture and vinification.

Chauvet passed away in 1989 and Jacques Néauport as quoted by Isabelle in her book “decided to keep his legacy alive. I did my best to get his research published, to write about his life, and to speak of him everywhere I went.” Néauport passed on Chauvet’s methods consulting with French winemakers such as Pierre Overnoy (Jura), Pierre Breton (Loire), Thierry Puzelat (Loire), Gerald Oustric (Aredeche), Chateau Sainte Anne (Bandol), Jean Maupertuis (Auvergne), and Gramenon (Rhone) who were producing wine in the 1980s and 1990s. People started to take note of the wines they, along with other pockets of natural wine producers from Italy, Spain and other regions of France were making and interest in natural wine spread. 

Natural Wine Associations

Global recognition of natural wine began to take hold in the 2000s and growers associations came into being to provide support for the community - both producers and consumers. These associations enable producers with common philosophies to come together to share experiences, knowledge and research. They also provide the members with the opportunity to participate in wine fairs and conferences to share their wines with the public at large. Each association has its own set of practices that members must follow. Since there is no legal definition for the term ‘natural wine’ these associations, with the outline of their beliefs and regulations on their websites, provide the consumer with what one could call a ‘definition of natural wine’ that is followed by the association’s members. Some of the more recognizable associations are:

• Vini Veri, Italy – founded in 2003 by Angiolino Maule, Stanko Radikon, Gampiero Bea and Fabrizio Niccolaini

• Associations des Vins Naturels, France – created in 2005

• VinNatur, Italy- created by Angiolino Maule, breaking away from Vini Veri, in 2006

• Productores de Vino Natural (PVN), Spain

• Sans Aucun Intrant Ni Sulfite (S.A.I.N.S) – created in 2012. This is one of the strictest associations – nothing can be added or removed.

Check out the association’s websites for more in depth information.

Natural Wine Qvevri Buried Undergroud

The most basic definition of natural wine is ‘nothing is added or removed’ – what does that mean? For a simple term it can be a bit of a head scratcher if you know nothing about growing grapes and making wine. You also hear the phrase “traditional viticultural and vinification practices.” An excavation project undertaken by the University of Toronto and the Georgian National Museum in the Republic of Georgia found the earliest evidence of winemaking which dates from around 6,000 B.C. What was the winemaking process 8000 years ago? The grapes were sourced from the wild, pressed and the resulting skins, seeds and juice were poured into clay, egg shaped amphorae called qvevri that were buried in the ground which varied in size from 20 to 10,000 litres. The indigenous yeasts present in the air and on the grape skins started a spontaneous fermentation. Once the fermentation was complete the wine was transferred to smaller vessels for consumption. If you are referring to ‘traditional’ winemaking this is the beginning of the line. How does this most ancient method of winemaking compare to today’s natural winemaking? 

Natural Wine Qvevri

Today the natural wine movement follows either organic or biodynamic farming. You do not ADD any chemical products into the vineyard, you harvest the grapes by hand, not tractor (tractors compact the soil and prevent rainwater and oxygen from entering). Sorting by hand also helps you choose only healthy fruit – this is important. If your beginning product is spoiled, then the end product will be also. You use cover crops to promote soil health and encourage a system that naturally produces pest predators to eliminate those pesky pests without pesticides. You use manure from healthy animals to fertilize the soil. There is more to both organic and biodynamic farming, but I think we have covered enough to illustrate that today’s natural wine viticultural practices go a long way towards following farming practices that existed before all the science and technological advances were added to the mix. One of the most important steps in making wine is taking extreme care in the vineyard to produce a high quality grape. If your beginning material is not of the best quality, then the end product will suffer.

Natural Wine Fermentation & Aging

How does it look in the winery? Now that you have fresh, healthy, top quality fruit to make the wine you simply press the grapes and add the resulting skin, seeds and juice into the fermenting vessel of your choice. Today the vessels of choice tend to be concrete eggs or tanks, clay amphorae, and ceramic eggs. The idea is that you want to use a vessel that does not impart significant amounts of flavour to the fermenting wine so that you end up with an end product that reflects the grapes and the natural environment (soil, topography and weather) that produced those grapes. The fermentation is started spontaneously by indigenous yeast that is on the skin of the grapes. Pretty close to the way they made wine in Georgia 8000 years ago? Yes and no ...Rupert Joy in a Decanter article, ‘No sulfites added: the great wine debate’ references Roger Nielsen from Le Grappin: ‘Great care and precision are also vital in the winery. Nielsen stresses careful management of oxygen, extracting as many antioxidants as possible from the grapes, fermentation at high temperatures, no racking and frequent barrel-tastings. Hygiene must be rigorous throughout the process.’ Nielsen even regularly tests for the presence of a bacteria called brettanomyces and will only bottle when there is no brett present. On the surface it looks like 8000 years ago but underneath it is a completely different vigilante world where intervention is still avoided or minimized.

Nothing is Added or Removed

Where does the taking away come in? Modern wine techniques have been developed to produce wines that are appealing to today’s consumer. An example of taking away is the use of a process called filtration. Filtration removes solid particles from wine such as yeast cells, bacteria, grape matter, proteins and pectins. Natural wine proponents believe that filtration strips (takes away) complexity from the wine. Alternatively, you can choose to leave the particles in the wine (which explains the cloudiness of natural wines) or you can remove the particles in wine by a method called racking. This means leaving the wine in a tank and letting the solids settle to the bottom. You then drain or ‘rack’ the wine off of the solids that are left in the bottom of the tank. The problem is this takes time. It is much faster and less expensive to pass the wine through membranes that will leave unwanted particles as well as some of the wine’s complexity behind. The natural wine world frowns upon both filtration and racking although there is debate around the use of gross filtration. Some feel that gross eliminates the large particles but does not strip character out of the wine.

No fining, No filtration

Another process you might have read about is fining. This is a process that ADDS substances to wine to remove soluble elements that will eventually become particles after the wine has been bottled leaving it cloudy. Again, left to time and its own devices these wines would reach clarity on their own but fining saves time and money for the producer and the consumer. The modern wine drinker understands the presence of sediment in an expensive bottle of wine that has aged 15 years, but they do not want to see it in a less expensive bottle of wine that is consumed within a few years of bottling. This is also the step where a wine enters the non-vegan territory as isinglass (sourced from fish swim bladders), egg whites and casein from milk are on the list of substances that are used for fining. The science tells us that insignificant traces are left in the wine but the fact that the wine comes in contact with non-vegan elements at all is a non-starter. There are a number of other modern processes that make the conventional product seemingly more palatable to the consumer that are not used in making natural wine. Suffice to say that none of these oenological (winemaking) practices are not acceptable in the vinification of natural wine except for gross filtration – depending upon the member and/or association.

We touched upon the idea of adding substances to wine in the above description of fining. The added fining substance is in the end removed, in theory, from the wine. There are a number of permissible additives and processing aids that can be added to wine that is present in the wine that we drink. The list of permissible additives and aids varies from country to country. There are currently more than 70 treating materials that the US government allows in domestic wine production. This is current as of February 20, 2024. Some of these additives and aids are used to put an appealing product quickly on the shelf as inexpensively as possible. For example, when tanks are filled the must or wine foams. It is permissible to use a defoaming agent so that you do not have to wait for the foam to disappear. If the grapes in a specific vintage did not retain enough acidity naturally you can add acid to the wine. If you take care in the vineyard growing healthy grapes and harvest them when they have achieved an optimal level of ripeness to produce a good balanced wine, then one does not need to adjust the wine. Natural winemakers take care in the vineyard eliminating the need to intervene in the wine cellar. 

Sulfites in Natural Wine?

There has been considerable debate in the community surrounding the addition of sulfites. Wines that do not have the protective barrier provided by added SO2 run the risk of oxidation, aging prematurely or bacterial spoilage which means the wine develops flavours such as mousiness or barnyard notes and aromas like nail polish. Some people consider these flavours and aromas to be faults. Isabelle Legeron argues that ‘the best test of whether the wine is faulty is to decide if you like drinking it. If the answer is ‘yes’ then go ahead.’ The belief is that wine without sulfites tastes much better than those with. Words used to describe zero sulfites added wines are vibrant with bright fruit flavours – alive, while those with sulfites are muted in flavours – dead. 

The problem is that it is difficult to make a no added sulfite wine. Even if great care and precision is taken in both the vineyard and the winery there is a risk that something could go wrong as admitted to Rupert Joy by Roger Nielsen in the Decanter article. Joy also tells us that Frank Cornelissen, a Sicilian winemaker who was famous for refusing to add sulfites to his wines at any stage, decided after twenty years ‘that the advantages of adding small doses of SO2 outweigh the disadvantages….For the past two years, he has added sulphites and believes this has enabled him to express his volcanic Mount Etna terroir more precisely.’

Natural Wine: A Taste of History

As the natural wine movement continues to evolve, its roots in ancient winemaking practices and dedication to pure, minimal intervention highlights a deep respect for both the environment and the nuanced flavors of the vine. This embrace of tradition offers wine enthusiasts a unique and authentic experience, one that promises not just a glass of wine, but a taste of history and a commitment to authenticity.

Shop online for Natural Wine

Natural Wine, Gaillac, France

Nicolas Lebrun Tombe du Ciel 2020

Made from Prunelard and Braucol, this red wine has notes of crushed berries and forest floor fill the glass while juicy fruit and savoury spices snap happily on the palate. Bright and wild with integrated tannins this wine flaunts its hands-off "natural" wine-growing nature. Medium in body and forever fresh, this is the ultimate bistro wine!

Natural Wine, Côtes de Catalanes, France

Mas Amiel Natural Blanc 2022

A blend of Grenache Blanc, Macabeo, Grenache Gris and Vermentino, with notes of stone fruit, citrus with a striking mineralogy and refreshing acidity.

Natural Wine, Rioja Alta, Spain

Bodegas Moraza Rose 2022

This rose, made with 100% tempranillo grapes, is dry, medium bodied, and crisp with a light texture. You will find fresh red berries, tart cherries and herbs on the palate accompanied by notable minerality.

This article contains references and quotations from the following publications:

• Georgian Wine House, N. Brockett, April 28, 2020 “Natural Wine Is Not a Fad: What a prominent Georgian from the 1880s can tell us about a centuries-old debate”, accessed October 11, 2023.
  

• Grape Collective, The Editors, November 2, 2018, “The Origins of Natural Wine: A Conversation with Camille Lapierre & Jean Foillard”, accessed October 10, 2023.
  

• Isabelle Legeron, “Natural Wine: An Introduction to Organic and Biodynamic Wines Made Naturally”, (CICO Books, 3^rd Edition 2020).
  

• Saveur, Tim Atkins, February 7, 2007, “The New Beaujolais”, accessed February 18, 2024
  

• Kermit Lynch, “Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer’s Tour of France”, (Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 25^th Anniversary Edition, 2013).
  

• Frontiers, Pablo Alonso González, Eva Parga Dans, Rosana Fuentes Fernández, April 26, 2022, “Certification of Natural Wine: Policy Controversies and Future Prospects”, accessed February 20, 2024.
  

• Science Daily, University of Toronto, November 13, 2017, “Scientists find earliest evidence of winemaking: Discovery of 8000-year-old-wine production in ancient Middle East”, accessed February 20, 2024.
  

• Intangible Cultural Heritage Unesco, “Ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making method”, accessed February 20, 2024.
  

• Code of Federal Regulations, February 5, 2024, “Title 27, Chapter 1, Subchapter A, Part 24, Subpart L, § 24.246”, accessed February 22, 2024 
  

• Wine Enthusiast Magazine, Mike Desimone, May 8, 2023, “Georgia is the Spiritual Home of Natural Wine”, accessed February 20, 2024.
  

• Decanter, Rupert Joy, January 11, 2021, “No sulphites added: the great wine debate”, accessed February 22, 2024.