3# Natural wine: from defects to the rediscovery of authenticity.

Natural wine? No thanks, I want a good and pleasant wine, authentic to the land.

The use of the term “natural” today.

Today natural wine has really grown a lot and like all socio-cultural phenomena when growth is too sudden the risk of “going off the rails” is always present. I remember how a few years ago there were T-shirts going around with the words ” I love volatile” o “I love brett“, there I realized that the phenomenon of natural wine was going out of the context in which it was born. The real goal of natural wine is certainly not the exaltation of the defect with out-of-control oxidations or reductions (not to mention volatiles), but it is the exaltation of authenticity and identity of the terroir: an unusual wine in agreement but never enologically wrong. If the wine does not deal with its first purpose (i.e., pleasantness) it cannot be defended by saying it is made without anything!

I, too, agree that the term natural has been abused. The point is that wine should not be flaunted as natural, but share its space with other wines and be chosen for its expression, for the emotions and pleasantness it arouses in the taster and, why not, even for its olfactory cleanliness. But who said that one of the prerogatives of natural wine must be recognizability by defect?

To appreciate a natural wine you should not think about what flaw you will find, in that case you are not tasting a natural wine, but a wrong wine, look for the real value of the raw material, the terroir, the “lighter” winemaking process, you have to go beyond that and look for emotions that that wine is related to. If you want to understand more, talk to the producer. You will understand that that grape has only been accompanied (and not domesticated) to become wine. The intent of the natural winemaker is not to “adjust” a beverage to fit the demands of the market, but to enhance the value of their land by minimizing intervention both in the vineyard and in the cellar.

The future of natural wine.

There is no denying that there are milestones for the natural wine world to meet and exceed as well. The law of supply and demand will lead to the elimination of poorly made wines regardless of whether they are organic, natural or sustainable.

The future of natural wine is not tied to fads but to the concreteness of the message, that of craftsmanship, handmade, and reduced intervention.

The point is not to make a perfect wine, but one that is full of expressiveness, drinkable and enjoyable.

As always, tastes will prevail, those who always expect more or less the same thing from the product, and those who like to venture into the world of differences. The latter are the ones who really love natural wines:

  • Experiment (ready to discover unique and less conventional flavors).
  • Seeking authenticity: they do not want wines to be dominated by added products not found in the grapes of the terroir.
  • Seeking naturalness: giving much importance to the environment and sustainability.
  • Respecting the artisanal product: thus appreciating the work of small producers.
  • Active participation: participating and visiting wineries even during harvest periods.
  • Knowledge: they love to learn about the winemaking process and especially the spontaneous winemaking process.
  • Sharing the love of food and the stories of winemakers.
  • Being mentally open to the new: they are willing to try new styles of wine and appreciate the nuances of wine production. They are less influenced by traditional wine classifications such as “DOC” or “DOCG” and prefer to rely on the actual quality of the wine.

Natural wine is not just orange wine or glou glou wines.

In recent years there has been much growth in sparkling wines, white wines macerated on the skins (orange wines) and very fresh and drinkable wines (glou glou) often almost uniquely fruity, with bottles with funk aesthetics, with fun, alternative labels. In these cases you confuse the message, natural wine is first and foremost a value, often even a philosophical one, extolling authenticity, freedom, biodiversity, honesty is not a stylistic cliché. We cannot think that we are in front of a natural wine because its label is a little funk or because we are in front of an orange wine: otherwise the profound message about authenticity would dissolve.

I hope that all operators, restaurateurs, sommeliers, event organizers, and especially wine-bars related to wine will go along with the basic motive behind natural viticulture and go in search of, perhaps in collaboration with the producer, the soul of the terroir.

Campogialli 08/11/2023

Picture of John Batacchi

John Batacchi

Viticulturist and Winemaker