52 DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018 best health besthealthmag.ca
IMAGINE being served a glass of wine, a vibrant
rhubarb pink in colour, almost glowing and too opaque
to see through. It smells a bit like strawberries but also
fermented, like cider. The wine is fruity and light-
bodied; it tastes fresh but earthy, with good acidity and
hints of wet dirt.
This was one of my early experiences with natural
wines, and it fit my preconceptions to a tee. I’d heard
that natural wines were a little rough and unrefined,
with the potential for funkiness, barnyard and even
compost. Compared to conventional wines, which are
what most of us drink all the time, natural wines are
rumoured to be more unpredictable, more alive, less
refined and less elegant. This wine had pretty much all
of those characteristics.
But as I learned more, ta lked to people and tasted, I rea l-
ized that, although natural wines can be dramatically dif-
ferent from conventional wines, they don’t have to be.
Some are so subtle and quaffable, you have to check the
label carefully to know that they’re different (see “Super
Naturals,” page 54). Some are so redolent of dark fruit,
you’ll taste almost nothing else. Some are memorable, and
some are totally forgettable. The deeper I dove into natural
wines, the more I realized that they aren’t any one thing –
except made differently and much discussed.
“Natural wines have benefitted from the same trend
toward organics and slow food that we’ve seen in food,”
says Emily MacLean, a Toronto-based wine educator
and sommelier. “I think consumers are looking for more
honest wines rather than commercial wines produced
on an industrial scale.”THE
NAKED GRAPE
Do natural wines live up to the hype of
being HEALTHIER than conventional wines?
And, just as important, do these vines really
make better-tasting vino? Wine expert
Bonny Reichert* UNCORKS THE TRUTH.ISTOCK