Elephants in the Natural Wine Room
Let’s face it: Natural Wine is having a moment. Everyone in the wine world is talking about it in some way or form.
Before going any further, let’s get on the table: what is natural wine anyway? In summary, our take on natural wine coincides with this New York Times article: “Natural wines are free of additives and add minimal sulfites, and they’re usually made with organic grapes.”
Lorenzo Corino’s wine cellar at Case Corini, making natural wine for 6 generations
As we mentioned in a previous article on wine terminolgy, everyone has their own definition of natural wine since there is not one standard industry-wide term. Not having a common definition can create a lot of confusion in the industry and with consumers. An example of this is when Cameron Diaz introdued her wine brand 2 years ago claiming it is a “clean” wine which threw the wine industry into a tizzy. This led to the US government wine labeling authority, the TTB, to discourage the word ‘clean’ as a wine descriptor since clean is a “misleading health-related statement”.
Companies and people in the wine industry are getting embroiled in a similar debate on natural wine. Natural wine is sort of a dichotomy since it is how wine was made for ages, going back to ancient times, as we talked about in this article. Then when large production wine started in the 20th century, in order to achieve large scale in making wine and to produce a product which would have consistent taste and characteristics, chemicals and additives started to become a thing in winegrowing and winemaking. In fact, you can add up to 200 ingredients to wine and not disclose it on the label. This is often referred to ‘conventional winemaking’ and conventional wines are most of the products you see ‘everywhere’ in the US. However many American wine loving consumers, thanks to certain voices and influencers in the wine media and trade, have caught onto this proliferation of making wine like Coca Cola, and are back to seeking an authentic product. Hence the turn back to natural wine.
So now that natural wine has become ‘the hype’ in the wine world, which even large wine producers are latching onto, this is causing a lot of confusion and controversy. So, let’s get some of these unclear or avoided topics to the surface.
Are all Natural Wines Natty?
Depending on how ‘into’ natural wines you are, one term that keeps popping up is natty. Merriam-Webster defines natty as ‘trimly neat and tidy’ which oddly means the opposite when describing a natty wine. You need instead to go to the urban dictionary which says that natty is a nickname for natural.
We consider a wine as natty when it has flaws that the conventional wine world consider unacceptable and instead are acceptable in natty wines. Some examples are:
Lees in bottom of a glass of pet nat wine.
A cloudy appearance, due to it being unfiltered, or with ‘gunk’, i.e. dead lees, at the bottom of the glass or bottle;
Having aromas which are considered defects in conventional wine. One typical descriptor is ‘barnyardy’ that is often caused by a yeast Brettanomyces, known colloquially as Brett. Typically winemakers try to avoid Brett, as it is known to spoil wine. When wine is fermented naturally, anything goes, which includes the formation of Brett yeast. Given the risk natural winemakers take in letting nature do its thing in making fermented juice, there is a certain amount of tolerance for smells which are typically a no-no when evaluating a wine;
Same goes with the taste of a ‘natty’ wines: the ‘bardyardyness’ overflows to the taste of the wine. In a mild case, you get the impression that you’re really tasting earth with the fruit, which is a delightful sensation. But it can cross over to extremes and taste like a wet dog. But hey, some people like that, and do seek out extreme nattiness in natural wines.
However, in our opinion, natural wines do not have to have all of these ‘natty’ elements to be considered natural wine. For example, filtering, especially when done using a decanting method, like Bodega de las Estrellas natural amphora wines, or using vegan products, like Quercia Scarlatta, does not NOT make it a natural wine.
It is a style choice that the winemaker makes. It may not appeal to those seeking out natty wines yet it may appeal to others: like those who are new to natural wines and want to dip their toes into them gradually, or those who claim to have health related issues which they come across in ‘cheap supermarket’ wines and seek out a less tinkered with product, that has less additives and sulfites, like small production, sustainably made wines which Vero curates and sells.
Are all Natural Wines Organic?
Making natural wine means that you’re adding nothing but grapes and maybe a bit of sulfites to protect the wine from easily going bad. But what about how the grapes are farmed?
A vine in Lorenzo Corino / Case Corini’s organically farmed vineyard right before harvest
Unlike natural wine, organic farming does have ‘a’ standard meaning. In a nutshell, it is determined by government bodies which have a set of rules of what it means to farm organically; for example USDA in the US, and the E.U. in Europe, each of which has their own set of rules for organic certification.
At a recent panel discussion at Raw Wine LA Wine Fair, natural winegrowers talked about the dangers of using heavy metals in farming. They were implying to the use of copper which organic standards recommend to treat various farming issues, like powdery mildew, with CA based natural winemaker Rajat Parr saying that copper “is not good for soil in the long run.”
Many small vignerons and winemakers in Italy are coming to the same conclusion. To effectively use copper you must apply to the plant right before it rains. Yet the rains wash away copper, so the copper goes straight to the soil and hardly stays on the plants. So many sustainably-minded winegrowers are seeking alternatives to organic farming rules. They use substances that are less harmful to the environment than loading up on copper however are not (yet) deemed as part of the organic regime by government bodies. Government bodies are often slow to react as well.
Sure, farming without use of artificial agents is definitely better than not using any at all but applying instead a lot of heavy metal to the soil does not seem like a sustainably wise solution either.
We find that working with small producers who are farming their own land will make the best decisions for the health of their land, their health and our health. Hence, we give small producers the benefit of the doubt if they make decisions to not farm strictly according to organic rules that may be outdated anyway. If they are following a careful, minimal intervention approach and are making their wine without anything except a bit of sulfites as necessary to protect from spoilage, we consider that natural wine.
Is There a Mouse in the House?
If there is an elephant in the room in natural wine circles it is mouse. It is a defect in natural wine that you don’t smell and you only detect retronasally, i.e., when you are breathing out after you’ve taken a sip of wine. It is hard to detect but natural wine experts will identify it.
It gets its name from mouse cage which is supposed to be what it smells like. If you never had a pet mouse, think fritos instead. What happens is you sip the wine and while you breathing out you smell fritos. If you think you are getting it but are still not sure, put a drop of wine in the palm of your hand, rub your hands together and if you smell fritos, that’s mouse.
There’s not a lot known about this defect. Thanks to Jamie Goode’s research and book “Flawless: Understanding Faults in Wine”, we know that
it is made by lactic acid bacteria and some strains of Brett,
its detection depends on your mouth pH (aka saliva) which varies depending on the time of day, what you ate and your bodily state,
the biggest risk factor to mouse is when no sulfites are added.
So, to no surprise, this should have been the hot topic at the panel about the challenges of being sulfite-free at Raw Wine LA Wine Fair earlier this month. Yet, the speakers, made up of natural winemakers, were dancing around the subject. It wasn’t until our founder, Sheila Donohue, who was in the audience, raised her hand asking the panel to address this issue head on, as it is a challenge to every player along the natural wine supply chain, from growers and wineries, to importers, distributors and buyers, businesses and consumers.
The 3 natural wine grower makers on the panel who make sulfite-free natural wine all said that they encounter this defect at some point or another in their wines, saying:
there is no 1 reason as to why it occurs
mouse seems to like oxygen and staying on its lees seems to increase the risk
mouse seems to go away when filtering
mouse is isolated to the vessel in which the wine is being made, eg a singular barrel
you can address it by adding sulfites however it needs to be over 30 PPM.
But when it’s said and done, if you’re a fritos lover, a little mouse won’t hurt. It’s more of a risk for those whose livelihoods depend on natural wine. Sooner rather than later there will be more research and knowledge to address these issues, naturally, of course.
Who wants to Explore Some Natural Wines?
Whether you are a natural wine diehard or curious about trying them, Vero has an interesting selection of natural wines from small producers which we seek out around the world, focusing on those not yet in the US market, so they are truly unique and farm-to-glass. Whether you work in the industry or are a wine loving consumer, we are here for you. Go ahead and start shopping or contact us today!
A Sampling of our Natural Wines
Woman made Saturnalia Bianco, on VinePair’s list of Top 15 Best Orange Wines, is an award winning, unfiltered and delicious skin contact orange wine made from old vine procanico & trebbiano grapes cultivated in volcanic soil.
This natural wine is made from the patented Metodo Corino, based on regenerative farming principles. Nothing is added but grapes! Made with unpressed, free run juice with native yeast fermentation. A two week maceration imparts a dark amber color. Aged only in stainless steel tanks, it has aromas of candied fruit, dried apricot and ginger.
It has pleasant acidity and tannins, and is balanced with a long finish. A pretty deep orange color, it is a great wine for difficult food pairings, it pairs with almost any dish.
Tastes Like: Candied Orange Peels
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Winery | Biodynamic | Native Yeast Fermentation | Vegan | No additives (ie non sulphites added) | Unfiltered | Organic | Metodo Corino | Natural Wine
Fun Facts: - The natural farming method that produced this wine, the metodo corino, is actually patented by La Maliosa woman winemaker Antonella Manuli after she helped to develop it with natural wine legend Lorenzo Corino of Case Corini.
- Named in honor of the Roman festival in December which took place near the winery, La Maliosa, this wine was once called Saturnia Bianco.
We have some of the last bottles in the world of this rare natural Tuscan Sangiovese from La Maliosa! It is organic, biodynamic, vegan, and nothing added but grapes, no added yeast and no added sulphites.
With every purchase of this Box Vero will donate the proceeds to a great Franciscan charity in Italy, Antoniano, and their Emergency Ukraine Fund.
We recently talked and tasted live with the founder of La Maliosa who is housing refugees on her Tuscan farm. Once you get this wine taste along with the winemaker HERE .
Included in this box are:
With purchase of this Box all add-ons have free shipping.
Rolland’s deep straw yellow or rusty color likens it to an orange wine, but this color comes from the vineyard, sun, and weather. A fresh and textured mouthfeel leaves you pondering and wanting to have another sip. We recommend to let it breathe before enjoying to the fullest.
The 2023 vintage offers a drier, more savory, and complex profile. With golden raisin and saffron flavors, it evolves into deeper sensations of caramel, sage, and a pronounced orange rind on the finish. It wraps up with a long, distinctive mineral finish. The 2023 really summarizes well the age-worthiness of this wine.
Region: Italy > Abruzzo > Spoltore & Chieti
Tastes Like: Golden Raisins & Saffron
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Winery | Biodynamic | Native Yeast Fermentation | Vegan | Single vineyard | Organic | Natural Wine
Fun Facts: This wine is named for Grandfather Febo, Rolando, who bought the concrete vessels the family ages their wines in.
While made as a rosé wine, this Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is actually more like a light red wine thanks to the dark pigments of the Montepulciano grapes used, farmed on Febo family’s estate vineyards in Abruzzo.
The minimal intervention approach of this natural wine producer results in a lot of vintage variation year after year. For example, the 2021 Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo has a cherry taste with a salty finish, and is considered a “serious” rosé wine while the 2024 is a Rosorange color that bursts with blood orange flavors mixed with cherry.
Region: Italy > Abruzzo > Spoltore & Chieti
Tastes Like: 2021 - Cherries | 2024 - Tart cherries and blood orange
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Winery | Biodynamic | Native Yeast Fermentation | Vegan | Organic | Natural Wine
Fun Facts: Both vintages are fermented with native yeast and refined in the winegrower's grandparents' concrete vessels. Great chilled and a good pairing is eggplant parmesan.
All natural, old vine nebbiolo and barbera blend with no added sulfites and yeast. Aromas of milk chocolate covered cherries, it has a fresh and rich fruity taste with notable tannins and a has a long piquant finish. Name comes from the former owner of the 70 year old vineyard which has a mix of Nebbiolo and Barbera and is down the hill from the childhood home of Lorenzo Corino. After a gentle crushing, fermentation starts with native yeast fermentation and wines are left with skin contact for 6-7 weeks, followed by about 30 months of aging in wooden barrels. As with all of Case Corini wines, this is a 00 wine, nothing added, nothing removed, no yeast, no sulphites added, organic, biodynamic, vegan. In other words, all natural wine.
You never had a Barbera like this! Made from 95 year old Barbera vineyard, with some small percentage of other varieties planted over the years in the vineyard. This all natural wine has intense aromas of brandied cherries and a richly textured, delicious dark fruit taste with right balance of fruit, acidity and tannins. Barla is the antique name of the vineyard which used to be the land of an old convent. After a gentle crushing, fermentation starts with native yeast fermentation and wines are left with skin contact for 6-7 weeks, followed by about 36 months of aging in wooden barrels, housed under Lorenzo Corino's family home.
As with all of Case Corini wines, this is a 00 wine, nothing added, nothing removed, no yeast, no sulphites added, organic, biodynamic, vegan. In other words, all natural wine.
A Spanish orange wine with extended skin contact and maceration, this wine has rich orange-tones. On the nose, fruity tones with a balsamic touch come through, and when tasting it becomes complex and rich with a long finish and rich aftertaste.
From Castilla-La Mancha winery Bodega de las Estrellas, this blend of Macabeo and Airén is fermented in amphora with native yeasts. With no added sulfites, certified organic, and farmed sustainably, this orange wine is natural and biodynamic. Hand harvested and selected from small production vineyards.
A bright purple wine, this Spanish red wine blend of tempranillo and cabernet sauvignon has a rich bouquet of red berries and balsamic notes with a hint of minerality. Tasting it, an elegant fruit and spice come forth for a delicate balance.
Matured for 12 months in oak barrels, this natural Spanish red wine first undergoes native yeast fermentation with no added sulfites in the amphora of Bodega de las Estrellas. Hand harvested, the grapes are farmed biodynamically and organically.
This natural wine is delicious fruit-forward organic vegan white wine, a blend of hard-to-find native varieties from the province of Macerata in Le Marche, Italy, a hilly area just to the east of Tuscany not far from the Adriatic Sea, has it all, great nose, taste, texture and structure. While it is unoaked, it was on the lees for 6 months with weekly battonage, contributing to its complexity of aromas, ranging from melon to saffron, and intensity of flavors. Made with indigenous varieties from Le Marche, Maceratino (also called Ribona) and Incrocio Bruni 54, it is a testament to Le Marche white wines.
Quercia Scarlatta follows a minimal intervention approach to vegan winemaking, using native yeast fermentation in their wines like this Marchese Japo.
This product is sold out and will not be restocked. A similar wine you can check out would be Thaya Zweigelt Natural Red Wine Organic Single Vineyard.
Small production wines like this don’t stay long in stock! This product is sold out. Head back to the VeroShop to see what other small production wines we have available.
Deep purple color with aromas of blueberry and cinnamon, this fresh and fruity organic red wine is easy to drink, great on its own or with food. From the land of La Mancha in Spain, it’s made with native yeast fermentation and vegan as well
If you like Cabernet Sauvignon or Sangiovese, try Tempranillo as an alternative!