Most grocery stores, chain liquor stores, and national restaurants sell wines made by the millions of cases—wines made with a recipe, a process more akin to making soda than wine. In contrast, “natural” winemakers have staked their claim as the antithesis to corporate plonk. While “natural wine” is a loose stylistic description, it is generally made from grapes grown organically or biodynamically by winemakers who subscribe to a no-additions and minimal (even no) intervention winemaking philosophy.
So-called natural winemakers wave a banner of purity and integrity. They claim to let the grapes alone dictate the wine and firmly believe less intervention leaves the wine more true-to-place, unique, and alive. A significant amount of press ink has been spilled telling the story of natural wines. And while no official natural wine certification exists, there’s an exclusivity to the club. You’re in or out, praised or… unnatural?
Read the full article here at The Growler.
