[Drinking] Natural wines

[Herr Tubthumper]

Possibly a dumb question but I’m going to a dining event next Friday and just read that all the dishes are paired with natural wines. I’m not a particularly big wine drinker (although this is changing) and I’ve only ever tried natural wine about three or four times. The recurrent theme has been a slightly sour taste which isn’t really my thing. Is this what natural wine is? Are they all going to taste like this or do some taste like normal wine?

I did google but got a bit lost.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Natural wines are all organic, on top of which they don't have any additives of any description - most importantly they don't have sulphites added. They are usually, but not always, biodynamic too.

Wine-making is a hard enough art/science without making it even harder. Normally, such wines are significantly less tasty than non-natural wines as a consequence - they've just ballsed up the wine-making. You might get lucky, but frankly I doubt it.

TL;DR? They're all going to taste like the ones you've already had and didn't like.

 

[Deleted member 37369]

Possibly a dumb question but I’m going to a dining event next Friday and just read that all the dishes are paired with natural wines. I’m not a particularly big wine drinker (although this is changing) and I’ve only ever tried natural wine about three or four times. The recurrent theme has been a slightly sour taste which isn’t really my thing. Is this what natural wine is? Are they all going to taste like this or do some taste like normal wine?

I did google but got a bit lost.

Thanks in advance.

I tend to drink wine over beer these days... I can't handle the volume anymore!! Love a good Malbec with a bit of Argentinian beef

Last year we and Mrs HS popped into Plateau when we were in Brighton... ordered a nice sounding red... and then embarrassed myself by going up to them to say it tasted off!! They proceeded to tell me it was a natural wine and that's what it's supposed to taste like!!

It was horrid... very sour as you say... and only fit for disinfecting the loo!!!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I tend to drink wine over beer these days... I can't handle the volume anymore!! Love a good Malbec with a bit of Argentinian beef

Last year we and Mrs HS popped into Plateau when we were in Brighton... ordered a nice sounding red... and then embarrassed myself by going up to them to say it tasted off!! They proceeded to tell me it was a natural wine and that's what it's supposed to taste like!!

It was horrid... very sour as you say... and only fit for disinfecting the loo!!!

 

[seagullwedgee]

HT, try Cullen Wines from Margaret River in Western Australia. There are several UK importers. I visited the estate last October and met the family owner Vanya Cullen, it is a fascinating approach to wine making, and some truly stunning products. If you can get your hands on their signature products in the UK, then get some. These are Diana Madeleine Cabernet Sauvignon, and Kevin John Chardonnay. Expect to pay £30 to £40 a bottle, but stunning stuff, and probably one of the best examples of truly organic biodynamic wine you produced on planet Earth.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

I think that's what my grandmother used to drink in Italy, home made. It wasn't very nice and the red wine was usually put in the fridge.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Possibly a dumb question but I’m going to a dining event next Friday and just read that all the dishes are paired with natural wines. I’m not a particularly big wine drinker (although this is changing) and I’ve only ever tried natural wine about three or four times. The recurrent theme has been a slightly sour taste which isn’t really my thing. Is this what natural wine is? Are they all going to taste like this or do some taste like normal wine?

I did google but got a bit lost.

Thanks in advance.

Could possibly be German Liquids, in which case I'd stick with beer.

 

[schmunk]

Chateau Douche d'Or...?

 

[Saunders]

I thought I was entering an entirely different type of thread

 

[McTavish]

There are different definitions of what makes wine natural but the main point is that sulphur dioxide is not used in the wine-making (or some people would say only used in small amounts on bottling). As sulphur dioxide is one of the products of fermentation, it is almost impossible to have a wine that is completely free of sulphites but natural wines have much lower levels than most more conventional wines.

SO2 is used as an antioxidant and to kill yeast and bacteria so unless the winemaker is very skilled and has an extremely clean cellar, many natural wines will be "off" - oxidised or spoiled by bacteria. Quite a few end up as a murky cross between sherry and cider with a bit of added vinegar. You may find that some beard-stroking hipster will tell you that this is how wine is supposed to be but it's not.

There are some sublime "natural" wines but there are far more that are absolutely horrible. And the good ones are often very expensive. And the bad ones are also often very expensive...

Most decent winemakers are pushing towards using lower amounts of sulphur as its use before bottling can deaden flavours but most wines below £10 have to use sulphur for economic reasons as much as anything. Cheap wine tends to mean more sulphur, however there is far less sulphur in wine than in things like dried fruit.

 

[BLOCK F]

Tubs, you can always make an unnatural whine if the natural wine doesn't suit your taste.

 

[Triggaaar]

They proceeded to tell me it was a natural wine and that's what it's supposed to taste like!!

Well it's not actually supposed to taste like that, it's just that that is how it tastes. It's not off, it's just shit.

 

[Cian]

Basically all crap from my experience. I've vegan mates and frequently the wines with the vegan certs are also organic (but not biodynamic as that can involve such bonkers stuff as burying cow horns near the vines) and basically awful. Took a long time to find mass market, basically perfectly normal wines that used non-animal fining agents for their wedding.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Thanks everyone. Interesting and educational. And it doesn’t appear to be hugely popular

The night I mentioned is going to be interesting.

 

[wunt be druv]

Natural Wine is,at best,an acquired taste,or to be blunt,shite.The art of producing fine wine has come a long,long way and evolved over many centuries,turning the clock back and making wine as was done a couple of hundred years ago may seem idealistic and maybe romantic,but it tastes crap and to pretend anything else is utter bollocks! Would you live in a cave instead of a modern,warm,dry,comfortable house?

 

[McTavish]

Basically all crap from my experience. I've vegan mates and frequently the wines with the vegan certs are also organic (but not biodynamic as that can involve such bonkers stuff as burying cow horns near the vines) and basically awful. Took a long time to find mass market, basically perfectly normal wines that used non-animal fining agents for their wedding.

A lot of wines these days are vegan, and probably the majority are vegetarian. Very few still use animal gelatine or isinglass (from fish) to fine the wines. Eggs and, to a lesser extent, caesin (from milk) are still used but fewer and fewer wines use even these.

Getting a vegan certificate costs money so relatively few wineries bother particularly as ther is no legal definition of vegan and sometimes the Vegan Society can be a bit perverse in their rules. For example, I have a friend who makes biodynamic wines and was told that his wines were not vegan because he has a flock of geese on his farm to control slugs and snails; if he used a pesticide to get rid of them he would be fine but because he exploits animals then he can't be vegan.

They weren't sure whether the worm farm that he uses to recycle everything from paper to kitchen scraps was OK or not.

 

[timbha]

Thanks everyone. Interesting and educational. And it doesn’t appear to be hugely popular

The night I mentioned is going to be interesting.

Please can you drink a lot of it and report back (when you are ready) on its ability to get you drunk and if you are hangover free

Enjoy!

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

A lot of wines these days are vegan, and probably the majority are vegetarian. Very few still use animal gelatine or isinglass (from fish) to fine the wines. Eggs and, to a lesser extent, caesin (from milk) are still used but fewer and fewer wines use even these.

Getting a vegan certificate costs money so relatively few wineries bother particularly as ther is no legal definition of vegan and sometimes the Vegan Society can be a bit perverse in their rules. For example, I have a friend who makes biodynamic wines and was told that his wines were not vegan because he has a flock of geese on his farm to control slugs and snails; if he used a pesticide to get rid of them he would be fine but because he exploits animals then he can't be vegan.

They weren't sure whether the worm farm that he uses to recycle everything from paper to kitchen scraps was OK or not.

Madness

 

[Weststander]

There are different definitions of what makes wine natural but the main point is that sulphur dioxide is not used in the wine-making (or some people would say only used in small amounts on bottling). As sulphur dioxide is one of the products of fermentation, it is almost impossible to have a wine that is completely free of sulphites but natural wines have much lower levels than most more conventional wines.

SO2 is used as an antioxidant and to kill yeast and bacteria so unless the winemaker is very skilled and has an extremely clean cellar, many natural wines will be "off" - oxidised or spoiled by bacteria. Quite a few end up as a murky cross between sherry and cider with a bit of added vinegar. You may find that some beard-stroking hipster will tell you that this is how wine is supposed to be but it's not.

There are some sublime "natural" wines but there are far more that are absolutely horrible. And the good ones are often very expensive. And the bad ones are also often very expensive...

Most decent winemakers are pushing towards using lower amounts of sulphur as its use before bottling can deaden flavours but most wines below £10 have to use sulphur for economic reasons as much as anything. Cheap wine tends to mean more sulphur, however there is far less sulphur in wine than in things like dried fruit.

I don’t drink wine but a very informative post, with some witty asides.

 

[beorhthelm]

Getting a vegan certificate costs money so relatively few wineries bother particularly as ther is no legal definition of vegan and sometimes the Vegan Society can be a bit perverse in their rules. For example, I have a friend who makes biodynamic wines and was told that his wines were not vegan because he has a flock of geese on his farm to control slugs and snails; if he used a pesticide to get rid of them he would be fine but because he exploits animals then he can't be vegan.

vegan trumps organic? bonkers