For those unfamiliar with the definition, natural wines are wines produced without chemical inputs, either in the vineyard or during winemaking.
For the cultivation of vines, herbicides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers are not used. The vines are worked in the most natural way possible. You can often find fruit trees, grass, insects, birds, in short, life.
The soils are worked by hand or with horses; tractors are avoided because their weight compacts the soil too much, making it impermeable. On the contrary, the soils must be allowed to breathe, which allows water and nutrients to infiltrate better.
If we feed the vine with fertilizers and the water stagnates on the surface of the soil without infiltrating, the roots of the vine will remain on the surface. But if it has to look for the nutrients it needs deeper, its roots will sink into the soil, and the notion of terroir will come out much more in the wine.
Let's move on to winemaking. Here, no yeasts are added, no stabilizers, no other additives. Fermentations are done naturally, we don't "choose" the taste of the wine. No filtration or fining, which are too aggressive processes. We don't try to modify the wine, only to accompany it as naturally as possible.
This gives what we call living wines, always in motion, full of life and nuances. They are neither stabilized nor standardized, so sometimes imperfect, but they reflect their terroir and the soul of the winemakers so much better. They require an open mind, but when we know how to listen to them and appreciate them, they offer crazy emotions and incredible memories.
Are you still a little lost when you have to choose a wine at a restaurant? Check out our article “Tips for choosing your wine at a restaurant (and looking like a pro)”.
