Natural wine in Italy

Everything is said about wine and for some people the subject is almost sacred. It's always interesting to see why a neutral subject becomes a religion for some. It's a mystery to me, but who knows, one day I'll find out.

After this introduction, the real introduction: a piece about natural wine and especially natural wine in Italy and from Italy (natural wines). Hoping to write an informative article without claiming that all non-natural wines are wrong.

First, what is natural wine?

The question: 'what is natural wine?' immediately poses a number of problems. There are different beliefs in this area. One group believes that natural wine is wine made from grapes only, with the occasional tiny bit of sulfite, and then really minimal amounts. Just say wine the way it was made in the old days.

Others think that you can also cool and filter the wine, that you can tinker with the result with natural means. There are, of course, all kinds of degrees of what tinkering does and does not entail and what is and is not permissible. 

In short, natural wine is a hugely complex subject. 

Natural wine is in any case not the same as organic wine, because organic wines are made from organic grapes, but in the winemaking process everything is allowed that is not possible with natural wines and often there are also many more sulfites in it.

Biodynamic wine comes very close to natural wine, because with biodynamic wine only few products are allowed in the winemaking process.

✅Tip: natural wine is also called slowwine called. On wtol-academy.nl you will find a list of characteristics of slowwine.

1. The natural wine maker grows his own grapes.
2. The winemaker also wants to make really natural wine and takes the risks in doing so.
3. The grape varieties are mainly local varieties from a particular region.
4. The winemaker does not use any artificial chemicals.
5. The winemaker follows the natural course in making the wine.
6. In winemaking, the winemaker does not use agents that correct the color, smell or taste.
7. The wine is without sulfites. If the winemaker already uses sulfites to preserve the wine, it is only at the time of bottling and only in a minimal dose.
8. The wines are generally not filtered or clarified.

Permitted products? How is normal wine made then?

There is a wonderful list of resources that are allowed in winemaking. In addition, wine is one of the few products where it is not mandatory to label what it contains. The natural winemakers' lobby can't get this through to the various governments of wine-producing countries. 

The first thing almost every normal wine producer adds is yeast. There are many types and flavors. Good winemakers often add their own yeasts to make sure the process goes the way they want. Others buy yeasts and add them so that the wine develops one flavor more than another.

Natural wine does not use yeast. The yeasts are on the grapes and if you work cleanly and do not use poisons in the vineyard, the yeasts on the grape are ideal for making your wine. That is seen as the true expression of a certain area and a certain grape variety. 

Furthermore, sulfites are often added to normal wine. With natural wine this is very little and some manage to work completely without added sulphites.

Sulfites are formed during winemaking, so all bottles must state that they contain sulfites, even if a winemaker has not added it. Occasionally a label clearly states that there are sulfites in the wine, but no sulphites have been added.

Below is a list with the permitted products in different types of wine (in Italian).

Who makes natural wines?

In Italy, the number of winemakers making natural wines is growing rapidly. There are many small wine producers in Italy and natural wine is almost always made by the small winegrowers because it requires a lot of knowledge and accuracy, something the winemaker can do alone. And not the staff that is hired on a seasonal basis (as large winemakers often work).

The small wine producers often do all the work themselves, apart from the harvesting, which is done by hand and with the help of family, friends and acquaintances.

Why should you drink natural wine?

You could drink natural wine if you suffer from sulfites. For example, if you get a headache, or a burning sensation in the throat after drinking a glass of wine, or a skin rash, or even nausea… There are all kinds of symptoms and they differ from person to person.

Another reason to try a natural wine could be that natural wines are very much alive, different every time and they really indicate what area they come from and what season it has been. That is immediately a reason for others to stay away from these types of wines, because they are less stable and predictable than traditional wines.

It is less easy to transport them because large temperature differences can affect the wine. For example, it can happen that a wine starts fermenting again if it suddenly becomes very warm.

Where can you buy natural Italian wine?

There are a few wine merchants specializing in natural wines and they also have Italian natural wines. There are also small companies online that import Italian natural wine into the Netherlands and sell them through their webshop.

If you are looking for natural wine in Italy, you can find the winemakers in several places, taste them and possibly buy some bottles (or boxes). Note that in the summer you have to be careful not to leave the wine in a car that gets very hot.

Here is a list of participants in one of the natural wine fairs in Italy.

The word winegrower (vineyard = vineyard, so winegrower means something like 'someone from the vineyard') often stands for a winemaker who produces natural wine. So search for this in a certain area and chances are you will come across something interesting.

There are several associations of natural wine in Italy. one is VinNatur. They organize various fairs where you can taste wine. On the website there is more information and also the list of manufacturers.

The website of Sorgente del Vinoc also has many wine tasting/fair announcements and a list of producers who have registered on this website.

All in all, a lot to see and discover in the field of natural wine, in addition to the enormous numbers of winemakers who make regular wine, including very good wines that are very worthwhile!