Wine for Beer Drinkers
Inspired by the big game day, aka Super Bowl, we got thinking about the cross-overs between wine and beer. is there a middle road to be found… a sweet spot that both beer and wine drinkers can come together to drink? The answer is yes.
Let’s explore some more alternative wines that can be either great introductions to the wine world for a beer lover, or a way to appease both sides of the social drinking spectrum. But before we dive into our recommendations, let’s cover some definition and ground rules.
Wine and beer don’t have to be divisive… they can be interchanged sometimes!
Beer and Wine
Wine and beer seem so different… yet at the same time very similar. At their core they both are created via fermentation, with yeasts converting sugars (or carbohydrates) into alcohol. However, with wine coming from sugar-full grapes and beer coming from starch dense grains, they require different processes before this fermentation. The juice from the grapes can be fermented as-is, after a gentle pressing, and with the higher natural sugar content in grapes, the yeast in wine requires a longer period of time to complete the fermentation (resulting in higher on average alcohol). The grains necessary to make beer cannot be fermented raw, they must be first roasted and cooked in order to convert the starches and carbohydrates into sugars that the yeast can digest.
In general, seeing as beer is based in grains and wine in fruit, it is natural to expect vastly different flavors between the two alcoholic beverages. However, there are many places where they can overlap, specifically in a beer called lambic. From Belgium, it can also be referred to as sour beer, and in England they can be called a sour ale. But what makes a sour beer sour? Well, they are crafted to be more acidic and sour than traditional beers by adding different microbes to the wort (or cooked grains) allowing the beer to be intentionally ‘infected’ by these bacteria, like Brettanomyces (sound familiar?). As well, certain types of lambic or sour beer can be made with added fruits to help dampen the rampant acidity and add a sweet base to the beer. This means that lambics are also a great way for wine lovers to branch out into the beer world.
As a side note, there are many things now becoming an important part of the natural wine discussion that have been present for quite some time in the beer tasting world. As discussed in our previous article on natural wine flaws, two flaws in natural wine are referred to as ‘brett’ (Brettanomyces) and ‘mouse’ (THP). These two bacteria are caused by rouge bacteria, and can be found in some natural wines make with little sulfites and native yeast fermentation. However, they are no stranger to beers either. The term ‘brett’ was coined in the UK, and was named after a British yeast sometimes used in beers in Belgium, and is sometimes considered an important microorganism found in lambics. As well, the retronasal flavor of mouse is often referred to in the artisanal beer scene.
Wine for Beer Lovers… and Why
So what kind of wine should you suggest to beer lover looking to branch out? If we think about flavors in beer, and search for comparable flavors and even textures in the wine world. You can start out by matching bubbles with bubbles. While a fancy champagne or a fresh Prosecco might not be the best comparison for wine vs beer, there is a style of bubbles that are much more similar to beer: pet nat wine. Also known as the ancestral method, this is a sparkling wine refermented in the bottle, but the lees are not disgorged. This creates a unique wine that has a nice sparkle and inviting flavors and complexity. Their carbonation paired with a pleasant but not overwhelming acidity, is very similar to beer, especially artisanal and craft beers.
These pet nat wines, like the Codolà and Il Colfondo (meaning ‘with lees’ in Italian) from Valdobbiadene area where Prosecco is made, are both made with the Prosecco grape glera, but thanks to the retained lees in the bottle, they have a different flavor than traditional Prosecco, making them a great substitution for beer. For a more savory take on these pet nat wines, you can also try boschera, a rare grape that while still not disgorged, has been aged even longer in the bottle before selling, adding extra layers of complexity.
One need not stop at white sparkling wine either. Frignano in Modena, Italy makes lambrusco style red sparkling wines also in the pet nat method. The light red Sgarbato has the pleasant carbonation similar to a beer, but more fruit flavors, like strawberry. Even the darker red, always made pet nat, Scurone is surprising in its similarity to some beers. Both red wines are like pet nat lambruscos, and we consider them similar to darker more sour beers like a Lambic, some of which can even be made with red fruits like raspberries, strawberries, and cherries. The other benefit of choosing a pet nat wine as a substitute for beer is that they are normally lower in alcohol than traditional wines. They may still be higher in alcohol than your usual Bud Light or other beer (for example the wines of Frignano come in at 11.5%), but they are still lower than other red or white wines with 13 or 14% alcohol.
And it need not be sparkling wine in order to satisfy a bubbly beer drinker. A wine like Saturnia Bianco from the natural wine farm La Maliosa is often compared to a sour beer. An orange wine (an extended skin-contact white wine), it is unique in the wine world for its sour beer (and sometimes also called kombucha like) flavors. As well, one could look at wines such as those from Thaya, a winery in the Czech Republic. As we discussed in our article about wines in the Czech Republic (read the full article HERE), the Czech population love beer and have quite the palate for it. As such, when crafting some of their wines, Thaya keeps this origin-story of the drinking population of the Czech Republic in mind and tailor some of their wines to appease the more beer-acquainted drinkers in their demographic.
Convert your beer lovers to wine lovers!
So there you have it… now for your next get together when you are not sure which you guests will prefer… beer or wine… maybe try opting for a wine that could cover both bases!
Before this 'modern era' of Proseccos made with the Charmat method, Prosecco was made with the ancestral method, like this wine, Codolà, where fermentation takes place in the bottle, and it is not disgorged. This means that the wine is unfiltered since it is on its lees. In Italy it is also called a Col Fondo sparkling wine and in the US, we use the French term ‘Pet Nat’ to describe this wine. This results in a white sparkling wine whose aromas and flavors continue to evolve while they are in the bottle. This Col del Balt white sparkling wine made by the Sanzovo brothers has a straw yellow color with lots of fine bubbles and green herb and pear aromas with a hint of lemon zest. It has 0 residual sugar and it tastes dry and clean, with a slightly bitter, lemon rind tasting, finish.
A 100% glera grape white sparkling wine made with native yeast fermentation, this natural wine vintage “prosecco” is from vineyards in the old part of Valdobbiadene, made also in the historic tradition of the ancestral style, or Pet Nat, as it is bottle fermented on the lees. A light color, giving an early hint to its bright acidity, the bouquet of citrus and lemon flowers bursts forth in the glass once it opens. When tasting this ancestral method natural wine, apricots and persistent bubbles create a sparkling wine that is enjoyable with brunch, aperitivos , get-togethers, you name it.
The circle and dot logo represents both the human existence and evolution, as well as winemaker Eros Zanon’s personal view of his vineyards, a dot of small-production boutique quality in the larger circle of large-production Proseccos.
This is an unfiltered sparkling wine made similar to the champagne style from a rare grape called Boschera, native to Veneto, Italy where there is less than 20 acres in the world! We were the first to import this grape into the US!
Compared to the Prosecco grape (Glera), Boschera is more complex, and in fact this wine has been aged for over 3 years in the bottle on the lees.
With 2 days of skin contact giving it a deep yellow color, this native yeast fermented natural wine is then refermented with its native lees and then undisgorged, so it is unfiltered and continues to age on the lees too, allowing it to become more complex over time.
You can say it is a vintage & aged ancestral method, or Pet Nat style, also called Col Fondo in Italian since it is on its lees. It has herbal, nutty and yeasty aromas and savory taste with a long saline finish. Pairs with many foods & throughout the meal, from appetizers to main course.
Made from the rare Uva Tosca grape, which grows in higher altitudes in Emilia and is believed to be a descendant of Schiava Grossa, the Alto Adige red grape. Technically a rose wine, it is more like a light red, which looks and tastes like drinking cranberry juice as a sparkling wine. Refreshing and quaffable, with strawberries on the nose and a saline finish, it is great on its own or with light fare. While this grape does not impart much color, 2021 was a dry year, producing more concentrated fruit and color. It is naturally fermented and sparkling 'col fondo' ancestral, or pet nat, style wine.
This is an ancestral method Lambrusco made primarily with the Lambrusco Grasparossa grape, and with some Malbo Gentile grape, which is local to the area of Frignano in Modena. It is a lighter red ruby color, light effervescence, a nose that has red fruit with hint of orange peel. It is fresh and fruity, with plum taste, and grippy tannins and noticeable texture.
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.
