71
The hottest winetrend of the decade? That’s
easy: all things natural. Grapes grown with a minimum
of sprays, preferably organic or biodynamic; nothing
added in the cellar except perhaps a small amount of
sulphur dioxide preservative at bottling. Just wine.
It’s also been the most controversial trend of the
past 10 years. Critics in the industry decry the lack of
an official definition of natural. They grumble about
the murky, rustic and even feral flavours found in some
natural bottles, and they accuse some winemakers of
jumping on the natural bandwagon. But the trend has
been overwhelmingly positive as far as wine drinkers
are concerned (so what if the chardonnay’s a bit cloudy
and smells a bit like cider? It’s still delicious), and the
movement shows little sign of slowing down.
If you want to brush up on your natural-wine
smarts, here’s my pick of a dozen of the best. All were
made with as few additions as possible: spontaneous
wild-yeast fermentation, no acid or enzymes or tannins
added, no fining (clarification) or filtration, and very
little (or no) sulphur-dioxide preservative at bottling.
Almost all were produced from grapes farmed using
biological (low-chemical input), organic or biodynamic
methods. For readers particularly interested in this
aspect of natural wine – whether the grapes are free
of synthetic sprays – I’ve indicated which are from
certified organic or biodynamic vineyards.
Let’s start with something bubbly: a pét-nat –
pétillant-naturel, or “naturally sparkling” wine – that
finishes fermentation in the bottle. The2015 Les
Capriades “Piège à Filles” Rosé($40) from France’s
Loire Valley is a good example: organically grown
gamay, grolleau noir and côt (malbec) grapes bring
lovely hedgerow berry flavours to this pale-pink fizz
produced with no additions at all.
The2016 Bobar Yarra Valley Chardonnay
($30), made in a very natural way (no additions other
than a tiny amount of sulphur at bottling; unfined and
unfiltered) from conventionally grown grapes is a good
example of cloudy but fine white. There’s a slight haze
to this wine, but it doesn’t detract from the full,
satisfying flavours of lemon pith and cracked wheat.
Many natural winemakers ferment white grapes on
skins, producing rich, intriguing amber-coloured wines.
A terrifically tangy, tannic, food-friendly example from
the ancient winemaking country of Georgia is the
2015 Pheasant’s Tears Kisi($48): robust-flavoured
certified-organic grapes fermented in large clay
amphorae called qvevri. From closer to home, the 2016
The Other Right “Moonshine” ($36) is a beautifullypretty yet gently grippy Adelaide Hills organically
grown viognier, fermented on skins for a week and
bottled with no additions. Another fabulous amphora-
fermented wine, this time a pale, dry rosé made from
certified-biodynamic syrah grapes, is the2016 Cobaw
Ridge “Il Pinko”($35): slightly cloudy, with crunchy
red-berry fruit and an even, creamy texture.
Next, a couple of brilliant, vibrant pinot noirs.
Outspoken Adelaide Hills vigneron Anton van Klopper
was one of the first winemakers in Australia to advocate
for the natural cause, and his best wines, such as the
entrancing, multilayered2016 Lucy Margaux
Monomeith Vineyard Pinot Noir($45), have
influenced a generation of others. Think winemakers
such as Patrick Sullivan, now based in West Gippsland,
whose2016 “Windy Cottage” Pinot Noir($46),
made predominantly from biologically farmed Yarra
Valley grapes, is thrillingly juicy and delicious.
A detour to France. Jean Foillard is not only one of
the country’s leading natural winemakers, he’s also one
of the very best producers in Beaujolais, a region many
consider the birthplace of the modern natural-wine
movement. His deeply fruity and supple, structural
and ageworthy2014 Morgon Côte du Py($75),
made from organically grown fruit with no additions
except a little sulphur at bottling, is a benchmark.
Now a couple of boisterous Aussie red blends, both
made using whole-bunch fermentation and carbonic
maceration, designed for early glugging. The 2016
Smallfry “Stella Luna”($28), from a certified
organic and biodynamic vineyard in the Barossa,
is a lovely blend of perfumed cinsault and gamy
shiraz. And the2016 Jauma Fairygarden Shiraz
Grenache($40), from an organically farmed vineyard
in McLaren Vale, and made with no sulphur additions,
is all spicy raspberries cascading cross the tongue.
And to finish, two fuller-bodied reds: the slurpy
2016 Cullen PF Malbec($39), a preservative-free
wine from one of Western Australia’s most well-
established certified-biodynamic vineyards, with
saturated-mulberry notes; and one of the most brilliant
Italian reds – natural or otherwise – I’ve tasted for a
long time, the2014 Foradori Teroldego Morei
($78). It’s a biodynamically grown, amphora-matured
single-vineyard expression of Trentino’s teroldego
grape: luscious, voluptuous dark cherries framed by
sinewy graphite tannins.
When the grapes are this beautiful, so full of life
and character, it’s only natural to let them shine,
PHOTOGRAPHY RODNEY MACUJA unadulterated, unadorned.#
“
The trend
has been
overwhelmingly
positive as far
as wine drinkers
are concerned
and shows little
sign of slowing
down.
”The rise of minimal-intervention wines has made waves in the wine world.
And the best way to understand it, writesMax Allen, is to taste it for yourself.Natural wine 101
DRINKS