There is a new buzz word circulating around in the world of wine and it is natural wine, but what exactly is natural wine? Technically a natural wine is a wine that is organically farmed, and no use of additives or preservatives are introduced during the fermentation process. The end result is a wine which has remained 100% true to the microcosm of life within each and every bottle. The winemaker has served only as a guide and not has added nothing or removed nothing from the integrity of the final product.
How Can I Tell If I Am Drinking a Natural Wine?
If you don’t have much information about your wine from the wine label, you could potentially tell if you are drinking a natural wine from how it looks and tastes. Natural wines tend to be cloudier than most of its counterpart wines, and the aromas tend towards yeast smells rather than floral or fruity. They have a short shelf life which doesn’t give the wine a chance to develop the bouquet that you may be used to when drinking an aged wine such as Brunello di Montalcino. This type of wine is in a whole other league of its own.
Orange Wine
You may have heard about Orange Wine which has everyone talking – it is becoming more and more common for popular wineries to try their hand at fermenting a white wine in red grape skins and seed for longer than usual, creating this vibrant orange color. The process here usually falls under that of Natural Wine-making. The result can be something very unique to the palate, and definitely worth trying. Now we want to make one thing clear – depending on the country your wine is produced in, you may be drinking a wine which is already quite “natural”. Countries like Italy and France have strict regulations on just how much you can “interfere” with the integrity of a wine’s original structure, so opting for a natural wine over a DOCG may not always be a seal of guarantee. The naturally fermented wines in native yeasts are definitely worth a try but don’t stop experimenting with the classics while exploring around the cellar.
How Can I Tell If I Am Drinking a Natural Wine?
If you don’t have much information about your wine from the wine label, you could potentially tell if you are drinking a natural wine from how it looks and tastes. Natural wines tend to be cloudier than most of its counterpart wines, and the aromas tend towards yeast smells rather than floral or fruity. They have a short shelf life which doesn’t give the wine a chance to develop the bouquet that you may be used to when drinking an aged wine such as Brunello di Montalcino. This type of wine is in a whole other league of its own.
Orange Wine
You may have heard about Orange Wine which has everyone talking – it is becoming more and more common for popular wineries to try their hand at fermenting a white wine in red grape skins and seed for longer than usual, creating this vibrant orange color. The process here usually falls under that of Natural Wine-making. The result can be something very unique to the palate, and definitely worth trying. Now we want to make one thing clear – depending on the country your wine is produced in, you may be drinking a wine which is already quite “natural”. Countries like Italy and France have strict regulations on just how much you can “interfere” with the integrity of a wine’s original structure, so opting for a natural wine over a DOCG may not always be a seal of guarantee. The naturally fermented wines in native yeasts are definitely worth a try but don’t stop experimenting with the classics while exploring around the cellar.
