What is Natural Wine?

Natural Wine refers to a generalized movement among winemakers for production of wine using simple or traditional methods. Natural wine is usually produced without the use of pesticides or herbicides and with few or no additives. Natural wine is produced on a small scale using traditional rather than industrial techniques and fermented with native yeast. Expand your wine vocabulary with these important terms:

Unfined/Unfiltered

When a wine is made, it usually goes through a process of fining and filtering. Juice from crushed grapes contains tiny particulates of matter that can make it look cloudy. The method of removing the particulates involves gravity or chemical intervention. While all of the agents used to fine a wine are removed in the process, some feel the step unnecessary and a possible detriment to making "real wine." The agents used in fining might surprise you — gelatin, isinglass (a fancy name for fish bladders!), egg whites, casein, skim milk, bentonite clay, carbon, and polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP).

Low Intervention

Low intervention is pretty much the baseline for natural wine. Winemakers that make low-intervention wines aim not to meddle with the cellar but will if necessary. This means no added sulfur, the use of native (ambient) yeasts instead of store-bought, and, in some cases, avoiding temperature control. The great thing about this style of wine is that winemakers strive for the cleanest, most natural expression, but are not dogmatic about it.

Carbonic maceration

Carbonic maceration is a way of fermenting wine grapes intracellularly — meaning, they ferment inside themselves. Whole clusters of grapes are placed in a sealed, carbon dioxide-filled tank to start fermentation within the grapes. In order to do this, the grapes must be hand-harvested rather than going through a de-stemmer.

Once the carbon dioxide replaces the existing oxygen, the environment becomes anaerobic. This causes the grapes to release enzymes that begin the fermentation on the inside. More carbon dioxide is released during fermentation, causing the grape skins to burst when the juice inside reaches about 2% alcohol. The skins and stems are removed and yeast is added. Once the yeast eats all the natural sugars and turns them into alcohol, you are left with a red wine that bursts with fresh aromas and flavors.

Glou-glou

Glou-glou wines are incredibly chuggable, hence the name, which is meant to mimic the sounds of someone gulping down booze (as in, "glug glug"). The essence of a glou-glou wine is that it's super easy to drink, doesn't require much thought, and is usually light and fresh without the tertiary character that comes from manipulation in the cellar and aging. Many are lower in alcohol, too. Many red glou-glou wines are best served with a sight chill to drive home the crispness. 

Pét-nat

Pét-nats are sparkling wines that only go through one fermentation in a single process. Pét-nats are meant to be consumed while they're young and exude lots of crisp fruit and racy acidity. They are typically lighter and lower in alcohol than their counterparts. There's also a wildness that can't be found in other sparklers — a bit rustic and a bit savory. Some are slightly off-dry, so there might be a touch of sweetness. 

Piquette wine

Piquette is a repurposed product made by adding water to grape must (or pomace) and fermenting what's left of the sugars. The result is a light and thirst-quenching beverage with a slight spritz, similar to a wine spritzer.

Orange Wine

Orange wine is similar to rosé in some ways. Rosé is made by allowing the juice to have contact with the skins of red wine grapes to give it that beautiful pink hue and impart texture and tannic structure. Orange wine is the same, except it is made using white wine grapes.

Zero-Zero Wine

"Zero-Zero" wine has no added sulfur. In fact, "Zero-Zero" means nothing is added, and nothing is taken away — it's a wine made in the most primitive way. There might be some vintage variation with this approach, but that is all part of the charm of authentic wines. 

Biodynamic wine

According to the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, the official definition of biodynamic farming is "a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, gardens, food production and nutrition." The vineyard — along with animals, plants, trees, and soil — is thought of as one organism that contributes to the others. Rather than treat the earth and vines with herbicides and fertilizers, they use animals to fertilize it.