Answer A Question [ Is Natural Wine Better? ]

 

               When you drink a glass of wine, is it really just a glass of wine? With the latest techniques that have been developed to meet consumer demands, many winemakers are adding ingredients that would not normally be found in the recipe book. There are labels and sales pitches that contain words like organic, biodynamic or natural, but the meanings are completely pressed to details that may or may not be true. If an individual is conscious about something he or she consumes, then perhaps said person should do a little research on the one product allowed on your kitchen table, other than water, that does not require a label of ingredients.

            Organic is a term that can only be applied to the grapes growing in a vineyard. When a grape has been organically grown, 101 Essential Tips Wine notes that means chemical pesticides have not been used. Biodynamic is similar to organic in the sense that it also refers to the way grapes are grown without pesticides. Neither of these terms actually refer to the winemaking process, however they can be used to sway potential customers.

Biodynamic is particularly persuasive because this is the ultimate environmentally friendly grape. Growers will actually introduce other plants and natural predators to create a sustainable ecosystem. The addition of natural predators are to avoid the use of chemical pesticides. Again, this focus on purity does not always continue into the winery.

            If you were to visit a vineyard, you could assume that every grape could be plucked from the vine, eaten and cause zero to minimal negative effects on your body. Today’s society has probably become more immune to pesticides than we realize, but that does not mean we should ingest them. Especially if we have the opportunity to choose.

Consumers control the market, but on the same token, the market controls the consumers. You certainly do not have to be educated on wine to enjoy it, however if you fancy something sweet and fruity, then your best choice of alcoholic beverage is not going to be wine. Consumers are convinced that certain wines should taste certain ways and these thoughts have been created by the market themselves. Responsibility to the ancient art of winemaking has been completely blurred to the point that an individual will spend upwards of $100 on a bottle of wine that is actually 80% chemicals.

The term natural wine refers to the actual process of winemaking, not how the grapes are grown. This winemaking technique is described when zero to minimal intervention has taken place, from the crushing of the grapes all the way to bottling. Some natural winemakers even avoid filtering their wines because it removes necessary sediment, or les, which can also be known as resveratrol, a compound that holds many antioxidant properties. Some un-natural wines are filtered using charcoal, sulfur dioxide, and at times sorbic acid will be added.

Wine, in the simplest of understanding, is fermented grapes. Fermentation takes place when yeast, a living microorganism, converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is bi-product of the alcohol and is released as wine ferments. The key fact is that yeast feeds off existing sugars within the grapes. Therefore, the process in which wine is created, intentionally rids the juice of sugars. This is how traditional winemakers know when to transfer wine from primary to secondary fermentation, as well as when the fermentation has finished and ageing must begin: They measure the sugar levels.

An interesting fact about wine is that the only similarity between each of the 45,000+ varieties is the basic origin, a grape. The percentage value differs in a large way though. Not all wines are made from whole grapes, a majority is actually made from juices. Some juices are not even from grapes, which is why you can have an apple or perhaps a strawberry wine. Flavored wines are not uncommon, however they do begin to taste quite similar to candy when considering the amount of artificial flavors added.

 

A common technique to make wine sweeter is to add un-fermented grape juice to that of which has already been fermented. Another way sweeten wine is obviously adding sugar. As mentioned, artificial flavors can sometimes be found in the mix, so tones of vanilla or perhaps hazelnut are not going to be naturally occurring. This is not to be confused with taste comparisons, as everyone's pallate is different.

Adding oak staves to a barrel is another way to adjust the taste of wines. Staves are pieces of oak wood that are treated and then soaked in wine to encourage wooden tones. This is sometimes why a heavily produced Cabernet may smell and taste intensely of oak. Naturally made wines do not use staves, therefore you will typically not sense wooden tones, unless there has been a particular barrel used though this taste would be subtle, less available to the senses

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Flavorings are added to many things we consume, so knowing that some wines contain additives may not be very surprising. However, aside from taste adjustments there are also artificial colorings added to some wines to make them appear a certain way so that they can be graded on a color point scale. For instance, some Cabernets or blends with this varietal are expected to be an extremely dark crimson that almost appears black. Winemakers may add non-toxic dyes to their wine for a better score if they are in a competition or simply to attain a consistency in appearance. There are many consumers who will judge a glass instantly on color, at times even to the extent of not tasting what appears to be wrong.

A common example would be a customer that usually prefers a white wine. Pinot Grigio is a grape varietal that typically produces a white to yellow tinted wine, but if the skins are used in the winemaking process, the wine will turn a medium hued pink-blush color. At the sight of a different color, and the lack of knowledge, they will turn the glass down probably about 75% of the time. In the same respect, if a red wine is preferred and the customer feels it is too light, they may barter about the varietals actually used. These are also great perspectives on how the market has unfortunately began to shape wine drinkers.

Natural wine does not contain any of the previously mentioned ingredients, except grapes of course. One of the most compelling and substantial differences in a naturally made wine verses one that has experienced cellar treatments is the step where yeast comes into play.

In the magazine, Bon Appetit there was a fairly recent publishing of the fact. Many winemakers do not utilize the yeasts that naturally occur on the skins of the grapes. Instead, many producers will add their own lab-cultured engineered yeast to create certain taste profiles that may not normally be created with the grape varietal their using. For wine lovers who are passionate about a terrior, the specific character of a grape, this process can completely destroy the experience, from smell to taste to sip.

Natural wine is true to tradition, and for countries like Italy and France, it’s an expectation. The approach is far more economically and environmentally friendly. It is common sense that chemicals are not part of a recommended diet. This new generation of natural wine drinkers are becoming more aware of what’s actually in a glass that may not listed on the bottle.

Lynch, David. "Oh Natural!" Bon Appetit Magazine

May 2013: 41. Print.

Stevenson, Tom. 101 Essential Tips Wine. New York: Mary-Clare Jerram, 

2003. Print.