Tried & Tested Natural Wines To Drink For Beginners
Ever feel daunted by where to even begin with natural wine?
Natural wine is without doubt the most ethical form of wine you should be consuming.
What is a natural wine?
Quite simply, natural wine is a style of wine produced in the least harmful way possible with specific regards to the soils, the vines that grow from those soils, the handpicked, non-sprayed grapes and of course you the consumer.
How is natural wine produced?
Out in the vineyard the producer’s principles are very much aligned with an organic approach; no chemical-based fertilisers or herbicides are used on the soils, especially not on the growing vines and grapes are picked by hand.
Upon arrival into the cellar is when things diverge from being organic, to a much more natural process. The grapes are placed into their suitable winemakers where they undergo spontaneous fermentation. Such a fermentation is spurred on from indigenous yeasts that can be found out in the vineyard, as well as floating around the cellar from previous fermentation cycles. That is right, grapes and their juices actually can ferment into wine without the addition of artificial powdered yeast and chemical-based flavourings.
Obviously producing natural wine can be way more nuanced than I have just summarised when you consider stuff like vessels and what they do for a wine, ageing periods, types of fermentation such as malolactic & carbonic fermentation etc etc. But that all simmers down to personal preference on the winemaker’s behalf. What I just explained to you is the bare minimum, furthermore the entry requirement to producing a natural wine.
Here are 6 of my recommended natural wines from the pricey, high-grade wines to the most affordable, fruit-juice looking wines that you should begin ;
1.The crossover episode when red wine meets white wine, creating that mic drop moment in your mind that makes you go “wow”. ‘Rain’ which is produced from Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Gewürztraminer grapes, and made by Patrick Sullivan who is situated in Gippsland of Victoria, Australia.
Rain Patrick Sullivan, Biodynamic farming, Iconic Aussie natural wine maker, all wild natural flavours. This wine has jumpin juice freshness and is super easy drinking.
2.A sparkling white delight that ticks all the boxes, no matter the occasion, if my own pub-wine-drinking Ma approves of this one then you know it is certified. Château Tour des Gendres’ ‘Pét-Nat’ who are located in Bergerac, South-West France.
Lovely lil’ bubbles, very low in alcohol and a very fresh fruitiness perfect for an aperitif throughout summer!
3.What seems to be a gleaming bottle of ice cold pineapple juice, will grasp your attention thanks to its sharp, yet floral, pronounced tastes and flavours. The ‘Bianchetto’ is from 100% Trebbiano grapes that are grown by the team at Lammidia out in Abruzzo on the east coast of Italy.
Simple, casual, easy white wine ideal for the table.
4.The little dancer that’s willing to prove all wrong, the natural red wine that’s affordability and flavour profile will be sure to challenge the ‘all natural wine’s are shit and expensive’ narrative. Claus Preisinger’s ‘Puszta Libre’ produced from Zweigwelt and St.Laurent grapes grown in Burgenland, Austria.
…we're excited to welcome Puszta Libre back in stock with the 2021 vintage - and what a vintage! It's a juicy red wine — silky, smooth and super crunchy at the same time.
5.Not so crazy or funky and more so focused on straight up quality of flavours. These two brothers simply love to produce high-quality natural wine and believe me, they have a fun time doing so too. Weingut Brand’s ‘Wilder Satz Pur’, made up of Chardonnay, Sylvaner and Müller-Thurgau all of which are grown on their estate in Pfalz of Germany.
This wine is like cloudy lemonade, easy drinking.
6.There is no way I could hype a list of wine for you to try without listing the hype wine of all time. Produced from grapes grown on the side of a fuckin volcano, you need to at least try this bad boy and form your own opinion of whether it lives up to the hype. The ‘Susucaru Rosso’ made by Frank Corneilissen’s Nerello Mascalese grapes that organically grow on the side of Mt. Etna in Sicily.
Frank calls the Susucaru Rosso his “entry-level” wine. It’s is a field blend of mostly Nerello Mascalese (85%)…
Have you recently got into natural wines? If so, let me know in the comments what was your first wine and why, I’d love to hear back from you.
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