Our Take on Wine Lingo
When listening recently to a podcast about natural wine where wine professionals were interviewed, each one had their own different description about what natural wine is. This is not surprising, since there is no ‘official’ certification in natural wine, so anyone really can make up their own definition. This goes to show you that even for amateurs, navigating wine terminology is not an easy task.
Since we focus on small estate wineries who are farming their own land and drinking their own wine, these are wines made using minimal intervention, farmed to evolve as naturally as possible with no ‘funny business’ in the winery. They all practice sustainability in some shape or form. Plus, often, their small size does not allow them to have the capital or quantity of production to justify the cost and time to get certified organic, biodynamic, etc.
Given that we are on the ‘frontline,’ directly meeting with wine producers, selecting their wines (and olive oils) and importing them in & selling them across the US, we have come up with our own criteria of how to ‘categorize’ wines. Here’s the list we compiled of how we define some of these terms, so you can get to know how we decipher and to give you some examples, with wineries and wines that we offer.
Vero’s Glossary of Wine Lingo
Biodynamic: Vineyards that are Biodynamic like Zamichele and their Lugana wines farm and harvest in harmony with the local wildlife, often finding surprises like this bird’s nest in their vines.
Biodynamic
Definition: Biodynamic wines pertain, at their heart, to the agricultural side of winemaking. While there is a certification for biodynamic wines (controlled by Demeter International), we believe that wines are considered biodynamic when there is an overall farming philosophy based on maintaining the delicate balance between the vineyard and nature. We follow along with biodynamic wine author, Monty Waldin’s, take on what biodynamic farming is: while organic refers to what you don’t do when farming, biodynamic refers to what you ‘do’ do. Case in point are Metodo Corino wine growers, La Maliosa and Case Corini, who follow what Lorenzo Corino once said: taking care of your soil should take up more than 50% of your effort as a vigneron.
Wine growers following a biodynamic philosophy believe that the vineyard is a crucial part of a 360 degree ecosystem, interconnected with the local habitat and environment, and having biodiversity in your vineyards and on your farm. Like Lugana winemaker Zamichele who does not use tractors and encourages animals and insects to habit in their vineyards. Go visit them and you’ll see a host of animal guests roaming throughout their vineyards. Another example of biodynamic farming is having diversity of plants being cultivated, like how Bugno Martino grows plants which are used to feed cows that make Parmigiano Reggiano cheese in their area. Another aspect of biodyanism is considering the impact of the moon on farming and wine production, such as Barolo winemaker Aldo Clerico who tracks the moon (as seen on his label).
Some Biodynamic Wineries: Aldo Clerico - Canalino - Herdade dos Grous - La Maliosa - Case Corini - Zamichele - Bugno Martino
Taste some Biodynamic Wines: Zamichele | Lugana White Wine - Herdade dos Grous | Portuguese White Wine Blend - Aldo Clerico | Barolo Wine Tasting Set - Bugno Martino | Essentia Ancestral Method Col Fondo Red Sparkling Wine
Definition: These are sparkling wines that go through bottle fermentation on the lees, and are not disgorged, so the wines are sold on the lees, which are particles visible in the bottle. These wines tend to become more complex with age, making them interesting and fun to try. See also Pet Nat below for more information.
Taste Col Fondo Wines: Bugno Martino | Essentia | Ancestral Method Col Fondo Lambrusco - Col del Balt Sanzovo | Codolà Prosecco
Extra Virgin (Olive Oil)
Definition: Olive oil that is labeled as ‘Extra Virgin’ are the oils of the highest quality. They are from the first pressing or free run of the olives, and use cold pressing methods, no heat. This leads to a flavorful olive oil with the most preserved polyphenols. To learn more about olive oil, check out our previous article.
Taste an Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil: La Maliosa | Aurinia Tuscan Blend | Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil 250 ml
Field Blend
Definition: The wine is made from grapes that come from a single vineyard where different grape varieties are planted, harvested, and vinified all together. In fact, farmers in Europe traditionally would plant different grapes so to craft the blend directly in the vineyard - cool, huh? This is in contrast with ‘modern’ wine blends in which different grape varieties are vinified separately and then blended together after fermentation and/or aging. It’s no surprise that Duoro Valley winery, Quinta de Valbom in Portugal, which makes the historic Port wine, as well as a Duoro dry red, that are both made from traditional vineyards with mixed plantings of up to 20 types of native grapes, producing a wine that cannot be replicated!
Taste a Field Blend Wine: Quinta de Valbom |Duoro Field Blend Red Wine
Native Yeast Fermentation
Definition: Wines crafted using native yeast fermentation do not add commercial yeasts to their wines. They utilize the naturally occurring yeast strains found on the grapes within their vineyards. This is done either through waiting for fermentation to naturally start using native yeast, or by creating a ‘pied de cuve’ starter by harvesting ahead of time a small amount of grapes from the vineyard and using this concentrate to jump start the main harvest’s fermentation process. In short, all of the yeast is cultivated directly from the grapes within the vineyard and around the winery. This allows the wines to maintain the utmost flavor tied to the terroir and area.
Some Wineries Practicing Native Yeast Fermentation: Aldo Clerico - Canalino - Febo - La Maliosa - Case Corini - Quercia Scarlatta
Taste Some Native Yeast Fermentation Wines: Aldo Clerico | Barolo Ginestra - Canalino | Rosso di Toscana | Tuscan Sangiovese - Febo | Montepulciano d'Abbruzzo Red Wine - La Maliosa | Saturnia Rosso Red Wine- Case Corini | Achille Red Wine - Quercia Scarlatta | Marchese Japo White Wine Blend
Natural: An old Procanico vine in the natural La Maliosa vineyards in Maremma, Tuscany.
Natural
Definition: We classify a wine as a natural wine if it has nothing added during the winemaking process except for a minimal amount of sulfites to help protect the bottled wine from spoilage. This means is that made with native yeast fermentation, so relying on the yeast on the grapes and in the environment to start and complete the fermentation. This allows for the terroir particularities of the specific vineyard and winery to come out in the wine and make it different and exciting for those who like to explore and discover unique wines. The grapes are farmed with the minimal amount of intervention to prevent harm to the plant, the environment and are safe for us humans. Then, we recognize that certain wine growers are much more rigorous in particular in their farming methods. For which we also define ‘Super Natural’ wines as a category, which is described in this article, with 6 precepts that are important biologically, chemically, and philosophically.
Some Wineries making Natural Wines: Febo - La Maliosa - Case Corini - Quercia Scarlatta - Bugno Martino
Taste some Natural Wines: Febo | Parella Trebbiano Abruzzese Natural White Wine - La Maliosa | Saturnia Rosso Tuscan Red Natural Wine - Lorenzo Corino | Case Corini | Achille Red Wine | Natural Wine - Quercia Scarlatta | Marchese Japo White Wine Blend
No Sulfites Added
Definition: These are wines wherein the winemaker has not added additional sulfites for preservation during the winemaking process. While sulfites are a natural byproduct of fermentation, these wines will have lower levels of present sulfites than conventional winemaking methods. However, it should be noted that the belief that sulfites in wine cause headaches have not data points of causation. Knowing that in industrial winemaking over 200 different chemicals can be added without disclosure, our uncertified opinion is that headaches correlated with wine consumption is caused by something else, not just sulfites. All the more reason to stick with natural wines!
La Maliosa - Case Corini
Taste some Wines with No Sulfites Added: La Maliosa | Rosso Tuscan Natural Red Wine - Lorenzo Corino | Case Corini | Nilda Red Natural Wine
Orange Wine
Definition: Orange wines are also known as ‘skin contact white wines’. These wines made from white wine grapes are left, after pressing, in contact with the skins for a period of time, allowing the wine to absorb some of the color, much like red wines, and giving them a different flavor than their traditional white counterparts that are immediately removed from the skins.
Taste some Orange Wines: Orange Wine Explorer Set
Organic
Definition: Organic wines are farmed and crafted without the use of chemicals. These wineries use organic materials throughout the farming and winemaking process. We consider wines to be organic if they are certified, e.g., following the EU organic certfication process, and also, frankly, if the winery attests to following organic protocols even if they are not certified. As mentioned earlier, many small wineries forgo the arduous and expensive certification process due to practicality reasons.
Organic Wineries: Braschi - Bugno Martino - Canalino - Ecce Vinum - Febo - La Maliosa - Case Corini - Quercia Scarlatta - Tomisa - Torre Matilde
Taste Organic Wines: Taste of Romagna | Organic Wine Tasting Trio - Bugno Martino Essentia Pet Nat Dry Lambrusco Natural Sparkling Wine Organic Biodynamic
Pet Nat (& Ancestral Method & Col Fondo)
Definition: An abbreviation of Pétillant Naturale (Pèt-Nat or naturally fizzy), a French term for sparkling wines purposefully created in the ancestral method by putting a partially fermented wine in the bottle and corking it in order to make light bubbles. These are sparkling wines normally Col Fondo, meaning not disgorged and is on the lees. For more information, see our previous article on this subject.
Taste Pèt-Nat Wines: Pet-Nat and Ancestral Method Sparkling Wine Explorer Set
Regenerative Agriculture: On the boundary of the Case Corini vineyards (the higher terrain on the right), one can see the land-conserving principles of regenerative agriculture contrasted with conventional farming methods (the lower land on the left). These vineyards were once on the same level when Case Corini bought the right-hand vineyards.
Regenerative Agriculture
Definition: Regenerative agriculture or farming is all about leaving the land better than how you found it. Championed by the late Lorenzo Corino who together with Antonella Manuli of La Maliosa, patented the Metodo Corino, a playbook to cultivate and make natural wines which is based on regenerative agriculture principles, and which Lorenzo Corino’s son, Guido, continues to practice. As explained in this article, this farming philosophy is self-sustaining; the land and soil of the vineyard grow healthier with every year, instead of being stripped and depleted by intrusive farming methods. It not only maintains healthy vineyards and preserves the local environment, but grows healthy and sturdy vines that create fruit with more natural nutrients and flavor. Think of it as wine that is good for the earth, and good for you!
Regenerative Agriculture Wineries: La Maliosa - Case Corini
Taste Wines Made with Regenerative Agriculture: La Maliosa | Saturnia Bianco | Tuscan Natural Orange Wine - Lorenzo Corino | Case Corini | Barla Barbera Natural Wine
Sustainability
Definition: Sustainabilty takes a 360 degree approach that goes beyond the local ecological environment. As we discussed in a previous article, sustainability ties in 3Ps: people, planet, AND prosperity. From treatment of workers, to managing carbon output (such as La Maliosa in Tuscany), to caring for the health of the environment, sustainability is a commitment to the future. Each Vero producer has a different take on how to embrace sustainability. Some, like Vigna Petrussa and Col del Balt - Sanzovo, are certified sustainable as well.
Some Sustainable Wineries: Bugno Martino - Col del Balt - Ecce Vinum - Febo - Herdade dos Grous - La Maliosa - Case Corini - Vigna Petrussa - Zamichele
Taste Some Sustainably Farmed Wines: Vigna Petrussa | Taste of Friuli Wine Tasting Set - Col del Balt Sanzovo | Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Brut
Vegan
Definition: Much like with food, vegan wines are farmed and made using no animal byproducts. Our vegan wines are such from the vineyard, to the bottle: fertilizers are plant-based not from manure, and refiners are also vegan, not from egg whites or gelatins.
Some Vegan Wineries: Canalino - Ecce Vinum - Febo - Herdade dos Grous - La Maliosa - Case Corini - Quercia Scarlatta - Quinta de Valbom
Taste Some Vegan Wines: La Maliosa | Tarconte Tuscan Sangiovese Natural Wine - Quercia Scarlatta | Marchese Japo | Organic Vegan White Wine
Where to Shop Natural Wines
We believe the best way to learn is to taste! So head over to the VeroShop and pick up some of the above recommended wines (free shipping on orders of 12 bottles or more), or get a jump start with our sommelier selected Natural Wine Explorer Set that already has shipping included for the order. Welcome to the world of natural wine!
