"Have you got any natural wine?” is a question we’re getting asked more and more here at Le Vignoble. The short answer is yes; we have plenty of natural wines to choose from. But it’s the criteria behind what makes a wine ‘natural’ which is the somewhat complicated part.
So naturally (pun very much intended) this begs the question; what is natural wine?
The important thing to make clear from the start is that natural wine doesn’t have a set definition. When we learn about wine, it’s recommended to look at ‘natural wine’ as more as an ethos, as usually the winemakers of these wines are not bound by a set of rules saying what they can or cannot do. The overall consensus behind this winemaking process, however, is that the wine should be produced in a way where as little is added or removed from the wine as possible. This is why you may also hear the term ‘minimal intervention’ when talking about natural wines.
Natural winemaking begins in the vineyard, where winemakers can choose to engage with multiple different growing and planting methods to ensure their wine is as ‘natural’ as possible. Winemakers can also choose to use no or very little machinery throughout the entire growing and harvesting processes, relying more on pre-industrial methods of wine producing.
One such growing method is organic farming. In its simplest form, organic farming avoids the use of manmade pesticides, fungicides and herbicides during growing; it is also beneficial for the environment, leading to less water pollution, healthier soils, enhanced biodiversity. Obtaining the official certification can be expensive, especially for smaller scale producers, so many winemakers will label their wine as 'organic practising'. This communicates to the consumer that the winemaker is following the guidelines of organic farming without having an official certification. This also gives the winemaker a level of flexibility. For example, if an organic practising vineyard is struggling one year due to disease, they are able to use manmade products in order to save their crop and maintain a healthy yield, whereas organic vineyards are not.
Furthermore, biodynamic vineyards treat the vineyard as a self-reliant, sustainable ecosystem. They achieve this by working with other plants and animals which will benefit the vineyard, such as keeping bees on site in order to pollinate the vines. Vineyards that experience high levels of rainfall could also introduce local plants on site that will aid in absorbing excess rainwater. Vineyard managers can be smart about the other plants they grow and use them to the vineyard’s advantage. Some of these include yarrow, which strengthens the flowers or chamomile, which is used as a nitrogen stabiliser within the soil.
Biodynamic practices also extend to the position of the moon. As we know, the moon’s position in relation to the earth has the power to cause tides by pulling the earth’s sea water closer to it and it’s a biodynamic belief that this will also affect the sap within the vines, with it moving up and down the branches. Winemakers who choose to adhere to this practice will follow the lunar calendar, which is split into four phases (again, pun very much intended).
· Root days – best for tending the soil and sowing
· Leaf days – best for pruning and picking
· Flower days – best for planting and harvesting
· Fruit days – best for germination and harvesting
So, now we know what natural winemaking can consist of, it’s time talk about the exciting bit; what ends up in the bottle!
Many people are under the impression that all natural wines have this hazy appearance, but this is not true. The winemaker can choose to add egg whites or bentonite to give the wine a clear appearance. Egg whites are usually used in red wines. The proteins in the whites bind to harsh tannins making the wine smoother on the palate, whereas bentonite is usually used in white and rose wines. Bentonite is a type of volcanic clay which removes unstable proteins created in the winemaking process which cause the wine to appear cloudy and hazy. Nothing in the wine world is straight forward, however, and some natural wine can result naturally clear without the addition of filtering agents. This comes down to the practises undertaken in the winery and the attention to detail given when producing the wine.
Not only are practices undertaken in the cellar important, but ‘natural winemakers’ will need to know their land and crops incredibly well in order to create the right growing conditions for the grapes they choose to grow, so that they don’t have to use unnecessary fertilisers or sprays in the vineyard. This will also include choosing the grape varieties they use very carefully and will often choose hybrid grape varieties that will be more disease resistant and hardier in certain growing conditions.
As we reach the end of our journey through minimal intervention wine, I’d like to re-emphasise that there are no set rules regarding natural wines, and that it is usually up to the winemaker’s discretion on whether they wish to label their wine as natural and the practices they follow to achieve their end product. Overall, natural wines shouldn’t smell like barnyard (which can be a sign of a wine fault) and should smell clean and taste clean too. Winemakers that take genuine care in producing their wines rather than just jumping on the trendy bandwagon are the ones whose wines we should be drinking.
At Le Vignoble, we proudly class around 70% of our wines as natural, as we like to focus on smaller producers who are able to be more attentive to the wines they produce, allowing the grapes they use to speak for themselves, without any man-made additions.
Written by Shay Lennox.