One More Thing to Wine About
The product:
Natural wines… [are] wines made of grapes grown organically, or in rough approximation, and then made into wine with a minimum of manipulation — nothing added, nothing taken away, the winemaker simply shepherding the wine juice along its natural path of fermentation into wine.
The critics:
Some writers have warned of green-washing, the practice of making false or exaggerated claims about ecologically virtuous practices in order to reap marketing gains. Others resent what they feel is a scolding, finger-wagging sanctimony inherent not only in the term “natural wines,” but also in the admirers of the wines. Most damning is the assertion that many wines regarded as natural are unclean, impure and downright bad.
Full article on the debate over “natural” wines.
Virtually all wine contains sulfites – which release small amounts of sulfur dioxide gas to inhibit spoilage. Without sulfur dioxide, grape juice has the potential of becoming a rather putrid. The only way I can think of to ensure the fruit doesn’t rot during the fermentation process is to sterilize the juice with heat and introduce a large quantity of active yeast that outcompetes any bacteria present. This does not sound like it would create a good wine.
I can’t think of any reason I would want to drink a “natural” wine.
This brings to mind my favorite wine story…
For all of us who are married, were married, wish you were married, or wish you weren’t married, this is something to smile about the next time you see a bottle of wine.
Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.
Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally. “What is in the bag?” asked the old woman.
Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, “It’s a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband.”
The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said: “Good trade…..”
atilla: Groooaan.
I can’t think of anything I would less rather drink than “natural” wine. Has anybody ever seen Parker give a high rating to a natural wine? Enough said.