Some of us wine lovers have already heard about natural wine. And most likely, what you heard or read was confusing or poorly defined. That's because there really is no certified definition of what natural wine is. Is it ‘a living style’ or is it a method? It would actually be kind of funny if the rule-breakers who started the movement started a rule book on how to break the rules.
Organic or biodynamic fruit from a vineyard, that's easy to define. There are stacks of laws and certification procedures for labels and processes. But defining natural wine is as wild as the yeasts that might be used to make it. Making a natural wine goes beyond the land and follows the fruit into the winery. Extremes go from the slightest use of stabilization with sulfur dioxide (SO2), to none at all; no filtration or fining, no new oak barrels! Sacre bleu!
Noria Wines - Nori Nakamura
Nori Nakamura of Noria Wines, our favorite winemaker whose wines pair with delicate cuisine, points out that he is “all for minimal intervention in the growing and wine making process. When I made organic wine my focus was to protect wine from oxidation throughout the process rather than to bring out a maximum potential of the vineyard/grapes. I felt more restricted and thought I could have made a better wine if I hadn’t been so restricted.”
There are farmers who are going back to the Bronze Age and spurning mechanical contraptions for horses and walking plows. But who says fine wine that does not follow the uh, natural method, isn’t natural or less environmentally conscious?
How to make sense of it? By cultivating a close relationship with your wine purveyor and taste, taste, taste. We personally know our winemakers, proprietors and most of all, their wines. Many of those wines are wildcrafted and sustainable by stewards who care for the land and environment. Ask us to help you pick that perfect wine for any occasion - natural, zany or out of this world.
Heres our organic, biodynamic and sustainable collection.
Cheers.
Photo courtesy of Scarlett Lovell. Thank you Scarlett!