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.

- Bonny Reichert

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, talked to people and tasted, I realized that, although natural wines can be dramatically different 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.”

WHAT ARE NATURAL WINES?