If you are reading this you are seeking the natural wine definition, and seeking a more healthy and balanced life. Right?
Well, natural wine is so loosely defined to the point of being dangerous. Anyone can claim this title without credible evidence. You could be drinking wine that is actually harming you.
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I have brought together the best definition of natural wine to show you the dangers of this new trend, and to highlight some beneficial "natural wines" for you to explore on your own.
This post is all about a natural wine definition.
Natural Wine Definition
Dangers & definition of natural wine
I am sure you have heard of this new concept called "natural wine". Right? It is huge right now, especially with women who are looking to drink less and live more naturally. Like you!
Natural wine characteristics;
- Organic grapes from organic farms
- Wild fermentation/Natural fermentation
- No additives or preservatives
- No added sugars
Though, there are zero regulations around who can label their wine as natural wine. So, really anyone can make wine and call it natural.
Though, under Internal Revenue Code and TTB rules, "natural wine refers to a specific standard that the wine is produced by normal fermentation of ripe grape juice without any added sugar, and only using approved cellar treatments... Still, grape wine may be sweetened... In a way that is consistent with natural wine."
As we can see that is VAGUE, and honestly makes no sense.
The number one danger of natural wine is natural wine does not need a special label or license to be called natural. Nor, does it have a verified definition.
So, we have to be careful with what natural wine bottles we trust. At the end of the day natural wine is whatever is important to you. Whether that be organic farming, zero added sugars, no preservatives, no sulfites, etc.
Why a $15 bottle of natural wine is actually hurting you, and what to do about it
Ok here we go, the bottle might look pretty and it might be easy on the wallet, but it is most likely harming your attempt at a more natural life.
When I was working in a winery in Napa Valley, my winemaker used what I would call "natural wine" processes. She would hand pick her grapes from the vineyard and set them in the barrel to ferment. No added yeasts, just the yeast from the grape skins...
The greatest sin was to bring a bag of cane sugar into the winer! She never added sugars, and never added harsh chemicals. Yet, her wines are some of the best fine wines in Napa.
Those bottles are obviously more expensive, though, that is worth the price you pay! You get to enjoy the beauty of the wine hand-made with care, and in limited supply that turns into a delicacy.
Are you interested in natural wines?
For all my natural-loving ladies out there, I created this FREE guide to help you discover the art of ancestral wines!
It highlights the 3 top ancestral methods of making natural wines we still use today that you can go out and find! Trust me, you’ll love it!
Why is a $15 bottle hurting me?
Mass produced wines do not follow the same care and delicate attention as my winemaker does. According to the US, over 72 chemical additives are permitted in wine production.
A practice particularly prevalent in mass-produced wines to ensure consistency, color, and shelf life despite variable grape quality.
As I mentioned above,
- Any wine can be called "natural" when in reality they are pumping it full of chemicals in the vineyard and/or the winery.
- They do not need any certification to label their bottles
What to do about it:
- Spend more money on high quality wines
- Avoid bottles $15 or less
- Use red wine as medicine, use it in ritual, etc
- Learn about the producer, maker, distributor, etc to get the best quality wines in the realm that is important to you
- Educate yourself on wines and their origins
Moral of the story, do not be afraid to spend more on quality bottles of wine. In fact, you will be better for it! Wine isn't meant to be abused and over consumed, rather enjoyed and honored.
So, what is natural wine, really?
Drum roll please! As mentioned, natural wine is whatever it means to YOU. Whatever element is most important to you, that ought to be your natural wine.
I believe the number one natural wine in the entire world is wines made in the country of Georgia using ancient winemaking practices.
Some wines from Georgia are made by hand meticulously in a large clay pot that sits underground. It sits underground because that is a more stable temperature for the fermentation to ensue.
Once the grapes are added to the clay pots they are put underground to ferment for 5-6 months (reference the photo below)! For reference, we only fermented our wines in Napa Valley, California for, at most, one month. This amount of time for grape juice to sit in a porous pot is absolutely wild.
The clay pots are porous which allows a little bit of oxygen into the wine as it is fermenting. This micro-oxygenation creates a very unique flavor. Not only that, the wine is sitting in clay for 6 months! Obviously, the flavors will be wild!
The spiritual home of wine & how to find it
The country of Georgia is known to be the "Spiritual Home of Wine". They have been making wine for centuries. And, the question remains... How do we find this wine?
Unfortunately, I do not know where to find the best qvevri made wines. Truly, I do not know. They are extremely challenging to find. Now listen, you can go to your local Total Wine shop and get a $10 bottle of Georgian wine.
But, what have we learned thus far? We do NOT purchase wines unless they are the top quality. And, especially if you are buying a Georgian wine for that price that is including import taxes, shipment, etc. Therefore, the bottle of wine is probably only worth $2...
Do you want to be drinking $2 wine?? I would assume not!
I will update my website when I have found the best naturally made qvevri wines! But, until then, stay elegant and keep drinking quality wines!