There is a lot of discussion around natural wine. Some argue that it doesn't exist because grape juice naturally ferments into vinegar, while others believe it should simply be called wine since it's the only true wine. At Possible, we're passionate about wine and always happy to shed some light on the topic.
To understand the history of wine, we need to go back to the time before World War II when wine was simply produced by fermenting the must from the grapes' skin and the cellar's spontaneous yeasts. However, after the war, agricultural methods changed, and chemicals were used to increase crop production. At the same time, oenologists began intervening in the cellar, creating a standardized taste. The goal was to make wine that met certain standards, universally acclaimed, prioritizing international grapes over local native ones. The significance of the terroir was not taken into account.
Since the ‘80, an increasing number of farmers have chosen to discontinue the use of chemicals in their fields and cellars. This decision came about due to the realization of two things:
firstly, the land was becoming more arid, barren, and lacking in animal and plant diversity,
and secondly, the wines were all tasting the same, merely following trends rather than expressing the unique story of the region and its traditions.
But why do we believe that natural wines are preferable to conventional ones?
There are 2 good reasons: one concerns the taste the second concerns the protection of the environment.
When we drink natural wine, we experience the unique story of the land it originates from and the vintage it was produced in. The authentic taste is preserved as no additives are included or removed during the fermentation process. The wine's acidity or smoothness reflects both the vintage and the vineyard's management, while clarifications and filtrations are carried out naturally.
in conventional wine, the oenologist can intervene in the cellar by modifying the wine's taste, structure and colour. As? For example, adding tartaric acid, concentrating the must by reverse osmosis, adding gum arabic, adding wood shavings to give the taste of tannin, stabilizing the wine with microfiltration, etc. All these additives are not indicated on the label because they are processed ingredients; therefore, there is no trace left for the consumer of their use.
To produce natural wine, the grapes used must be healthy and have a significant amount of bacteria and enzymes on their skin to start the fermentation process. This process requires that pesticides are not used in the vineyard and the soil is naturally fertile and alive. True natural winemakers promote biodiversity and use regenerative agriculture techniques to maintain rich and balanced soil. On the other hand, conventional wine often comes from vineyards grown with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, leading to an impoverishment of the soil and biodiversity, resulting in poorer quality wine.