They are lively, soulful wines and, despite being the great unknowns, they are becoming increasingly fashionable. They used to be known for their ‘unsafe results’, but nowadays natural wines are gaining in quality and are becoming an increasingly attractive trend, especially for young people and sommeliers who are looking for healthier, authentic alternatives and unique wines. What are they and how can they be distinguished from other sustainable wines?
The first news about natural (non-manipulated) wine was in France, in the Bordeaux and southern areas, at the end of the 19th century. Winemakers rebelled against the importation of wines because of phylloxera. Jules Chauvet (1907-1989), in Beaujolais, demanded minimum intervention in the vineyard and the addition of additives in the cellar and created a school whose influence was fundamental in Burgundy. In Spain, it was not until the 20th century that the pioneer of prestigious naturals, Carlos Alonso, produced 8,000 bottles a year of his ‘Carriel de los Vilar’, in Armentera, in the Catalan Pyrenees.
The times we live in suggest new, more ecological ways of making wine.
When sustainability is a declared objective for many wineries and climate change is also a threat to the production of good wine, natural wines, made without any intervention, are proving their suitability, but in recent years different ways of making wine have also been recovered or have been emerging under terms such as: organic, ancestral, ecological, biodynamic…; adjectives of a green nature that accompany and define the wines that bear them but which also, frequently, lead to confusion due to the lack of knowledge of their meaning and the mixing of concepts.
If we look at each of the different types of sustainable wines, we can see that only organic wines are subject to strict regulations issued and supervised by the EU, but this does not mean that wines produced under the principles of the other categories increasingly adhere to definitions and associations with very rigid principles. In all cases, the aim is to make a product of the earth as pure as possible, a feast of aromas, flavours and energy as true to nature as possible.
Natural wines, still perfectly unknown to many wine enthusiasts
For many decades, natural wines were almost non-existent and for the most part a curiosity with more or less debatable results in terms of quality, aromas and flavours. Nowadays, the possibilities offered by the new natural fermentation and ageing systems, such as concrete tanks, eggs, earthenware jars or oak vats, have not only multiplied the number of natural wine growers, but also their presence and their offer.
The natural wines that sommeliers, oenologists and wine lovers are talking about more and more, tend to participate frequently in exhibitions, tastings, fairs and events, reaching a presence that is beginning to be noticeable among many young people who did not drink wine, and which has led to the appearance of digital shops of the size of ‘Garage Store’, and to the creation of a multitude of specialised bars and restaurants in the major capitals, as well as the ‘Association of Natural Wine Producers’ and such important fairs as the ‘Salones de Vinos Naturales de Barcelona y Madrid’ and the ‘Vella Terra’.
The other side of the coin is that the basic principles of their production, which make them different, given their heterogeneity, are usually not known, and there is a tendency to confuse them with organic, ecological, etc.
So what are natural wines and how do they differ from organic and biodynamic wines?
‘Natural wines are made with the utmost respect for nature and the fruit of the vine, without adding or removing anything from the grapes and with minimal or almost no human intervention, taking advantage of all natural resources, practising biodiversity and generating minimal waste.
In addition, and this is a major difference with other types of wine, no sulphur is added for their preservation, and the little sulphur that is present is totally residual, produced naturally during alcoholic fermentation; this is why they are also known as wines without added sulphites. No external yeasts are used in their vinification, and they are not corrected, filtered or clarified.
The manifesto of a new viticulture: a common proposal from the creators of natural wines.
It is a matter of making the wine the landscape, of clearly showing the environment in which they are born, and of having a clearly designed profile based on the differential particularities of each vintage and, of course, on the characteristics of each terroir, even if this makes for different wines year after year.
There are amateurs and even experts who associate olfactory and gustatory defects with natural wines, but this is only true when the winemaking process lacks respect and basic aspects. Making these wines well without artificial protection, such as sulphur compounds, is not within everyone’s reach and requires knowledge, practice and, above all, courage.
In Spain there are some associations such as the (PVN) Producers of Natural Wines, which brings together producers of natural wines, -although none of them is official- where it is shared that: ‘great natural wines shine with a light that no other type of wine can match; they are lively wines, with soul and with a captivating depth’.
The seven pillars for the production of natural wines
The elaboration of these unique wines from the vineyard to the glass is complex, we name the seven pillars that mark a deep respect for nature.
1. Cultivation that respects the environment. Organic or biodynamic agriculture is practised but with ancestral methods and using only natural products, no chemical fertilisers, fungicides, herbicides, pesticides or genetically manipulated organisms… Natural cycles are respected.
2. Commitment to the natural environment. Coherence when dealing with resources such as energy, labour or water, with a firm commitment to improving the environment together with energy saving, generating the minimum amount of waste and managing them in the best possible way.
3. They are signature wines. The winegrower controls the vineyard, is responsible for all the work and makes the decisions. It is preferable to own the vineyards than to buy grapes from other vineyards that are not controlled. The producer has to work the vineyard and the winemaking process in unison.
4. Authentic and unique wines. The grapes must reflect the personality of the land and its vintage, based on manual and artisan work. If machinery is needed, it must not alter the nature of the grapes, the must or the wine, which must not be filtered or clarified in order to preserve its natural characteristics.
5. No to unnatural chemistry. No commercial yeasts or any product for either alcoholic or malolactic fermentation. No acidification (with tartaric, citric or other acids). No use of: ascorbic acid, sorbic acid, antibiotics, wood shavings or wood chips for flavouring; no reverse osmosis; no concentration; no cryomaceration; no artificial disintegration of must or wine components.
6. Fundamental rule: no sulphur dioxide (SO2). Do not use SO2 at any time, use natural techniques that eliminate the need for it, such as: hyper-oxidation of the must; natural stabilisation due to time; and other natural physical and chemical processes; with visual and organoleptic controls of oxidation and exposure to air, etc.
7. Honesty and transparency. The entire production process must be reported and the chemical analyses of the wines must be available to customers and consumers.
Organic and biodynamic wines
Organic wines, also known as organic, tend to be much more expressive in tasting than conventional wines. A wine is organic when the vineyard and the treatment of the grapes are certified organic by the EU; and it is granted if the treatments with herbicides or fungicides to combat pests are reduced; if only sulphur and copper sulphate are used for what is strictly necessary; and also if the fertilisers must always be organic. Later in the winemaking process in the winery, other products such as sulphur may be used, but in smaller quantities than in a conventional wine. On the label, Spanish organic wines are recognised by a seal of organic agricultural certification.
View of vineyards. Editorial credit: Pexels.
As for biodynamic wines, Rudolf Steiner’s theories are the basis of biodynamic wine: ‘to give life back to the earth and connect it with the rest of the cosmos’. Chemicals and bad practices in the field denatured the earth and killed its natural energy. Substitute chemicals with preparations of animal or plant origin, to protect and strengthen the vines. For example, cow horns filled with manure, which fill the field with micro-organisms. The grapes must be harvested or planted during a certain phase of the moon, which is beneficial for capturing and transmitting cosmic energies. Some biodynamic wines carry the Demeter seal of approval. By definition a biodynamic wine is always organic, but it takes ecology further.
Alta Alella Laietà Gran Reserva, for example, is a natural, sulphite-free, 49-month-aged Superior Cellar cava, which has been highly rated internationally, and is now presented in Màgnum format. Alta Alella is the project of the Pujol-Busquets family, which produces organic and natural cavas and wines in the Cordillera de Marina Natural Park, near Alella, Teià, Tiana and the Mediterranean. It does so by recovering vines over 65 years old on terraces, and traditional varieties such as Pansa Blanca (Xarel-lo) and Mataró (Monastrell).
The Pujol-Busquets family produces organic wines and cavas on their estate in Alella, which corresponds to the Alta Alella brand, and also in the line of natural wines, also organic, but with minimal or no intervention (without adding sulphites) with wines produced in the Celler de les Aus (Bodega de les Aves) winery. These natural wines and cavas are named after the different birds of the Serra de Mar natural park, which surrounds the vineyards. All this under the creative direction of Mireia Pujol-Busquets, second generation of the winery, who explains that: ‘Our aim has always been to create wines and cavas that express the uniqueness of our terroir, with a strong commitment to quality and sustainability, that the wines we make are transparent, that they define the terroir and the vintage, and that the palate enjoys the moment and the landscape’. At this winery, they have also been the first producers of natural cava in Spain, without sulphites, since 2006.
In addition, Celler de les Aus and Alta Alella have a Wine Tourism Centre located in the Serralada de Marina Natural Park, among vineyards, overlooking the Mediterranean and just a few kilometres from Barcelona.
Some tips in case you decide to learn more about the world of natural wines
Some places to enjoy natural wine in Barcelona are: ‘Món Vínic’, ‘Brutal’, ‘L’Anima del Vi’, which are pioneers, and ‘Bar Salvatge’; in Madrid, ‘La Caníbal’ or ‘Bendito’; in Málaga, ‘La casa del perro’; in Tarragona, the bar ‘Cortijo’; in Bilbao, ‘Cork Mala Uva’; or ‘La Gresca’, in San Sebastián.
As for restaurants with natural wines: the prestigious ‘Gresca’, and the ‘Aleia’ restaurant in the Casa Fuster hotel in Barcelona, for example.
Vii, the latest bar founded by the Roca brothers in Girona, has more than 90% natural wines. The experience and talent of Audrey Doré, head sommelier at El Celler de Can Roca, is responsible for the new establishment.
The Roca brothers with Audrey Doré (head sommelier at El Celler de Can Roca) and David Freijomil (head chef) at their new restaurant in Girona: Vii.
Josep Roca explains:
‘Moreover, 90% of the (1,000) wines on the Vii menu are natural, although Josep (Pitu for friends) wants to qualify the choice: ‘I am a person who consumes natural wines on a daily basis, but I understand that everyone has expenses, that there are vintages that need correction, that there are a thousand factors that influence the world of wine, so I am not against other wines, those that are not natural. In fact, we have a sign on the door that says, vins natura, which means wines and nature and that sums up what I think wine should be: something as close to nature as possible,’ he says. And in charge of everything, as head waitress, is Audrey Doré, who was head sommelier at El Celler de Can Roca’.
And finally, to know everything about natural wines, I recommend an exceptional book: Vinos libres, vinos artesanos, vinos únicos, vinos sin etiquetas by Jordi Luque (Planeta Gastro, 2022), a book that comes after 7,000 kilometres of travel and as a tribute to: Raíces del vino natural, un año de viña, by Clara Isamat and Vinos naturales en España, by Joan Gómez Pallarés. Vinos Libres is a very non-classical wine guide, with stories of women (mostly) and men -who have in common their love for wine- through fifty totally free wines.
