Natural Wine: Everything You Need To Know

    

Natural wines are becoming an increasing trend in the modern world, through choosing natural, organic, bio dynamic or vegan wines to reduce chemicals or additives, opposed to conventional wines.

               

'Natural wines' do not have a specific definition or body assessing a certain standard. However, natural wines are wines that have no additives or chemicals used, or no heavy machinery used to make the wine. Through the process of natural wines, the low levels of sulphites are used to preserve the wine and alter the taste and smell of the wine. 

   

Although natural wines do not have to be certified by a specific government or body, the standards set by each vineyard require natural traditional methods to produce the wine. 

     

Organic wines are grown in accordance to the principles of organic farming, which hold certain regulations which have to be followed in order to be certified. For example, for the certified EU Organic status, the maximum sulphite levels set for red wine farming is 100mg per litre produced, whereas conventional wine normally contains around 150mg per litre. However, in the US, for organic status a wine must not contain any sulphites. 

   

'Conventional' wines contain higher levels of chemicals and unnatural products and additives, which make organic wines thought to be beneficial for the consumer and the environment.  

        

Please note, these wines are not necessarily vegan or even vegetarian, because of the 'fining process'. 

    

To view our range of organic wines, Click: Organic Wines.   

    

    

Biodynamic vineyards are treated as an ecosystem which is naturally allowed to grow, without the use of any additives. Biodynamic farmers follow a 'biodynamic calendar' which has four different seasons; 

1. Fruit Days, which are best for picking the grapes to make the wine.

2. Root Days, which are best for pruning and looking after the plant.

3. Flower Days, which are best for leaving the plant to naturally respire.

4. Leaf Days, which are best for watering the plant.

      

Through following this calendar, it is believed that certain days fall with the earth's natural course- for example, a leaf day is probably a day where the water tables are high. If one was to water the plant on a root day, for example, then this could risk overwatering or flooding the plant. 

       

To view our range of biodynamic wines, Click: biodynamic wines.

    

Both biodynamic wines and organic wines both do not allow the use of chemicals in their winemaking. However, organic wines allow the use of natural additives, such as yeast to help the preservation and quality of the wine. Biodynamic wines rely purely upon nature for quality and preserving features.

   

To view our full range of Biodynamic wines Click: Biodynamic Wines.

              

Vegan and vegetarian wines differ based upon what products are included- vegans disallow the use of any animal products, whereas vegetarians use animal products, they just do not eat the meat.

    

Through the traditional process of 'fining', animal products are added, such as; isinglass (fish bladder protein), gelatine (animal protein), albumin (egg whites), and casein (milk protein). These products are added to help the wine settle better and to help the ageing of the wine. The additives are precipitated out with haze molecules, however do not prove pleasant for vegans or vegetarians!

     

Some vineyards now use vegan friendly fining products, or skip this process and allow time for this to occur naturally in the wine before being decantered. Through allowing this naturally, less additives are put into the wine.