What Are Natural Wines?
I am often asked what natural wine is and how it differs from organic wine or just regular ol’ wine.
So I asked our resident expert, Ryan Roark, who makes natural wines from our vineyards and others, how he would answer the question. You’re welcome!
“When I started getting interested in wine I was quite smitten by the idea of taking a crop and turning it into a delicious beverage. The idea that the beverage could showcase the place it was grown was very intriguing.
As I learned how wine was made in large wineries with various chemicals and manipulations, I sought out producers who made wine without those steps. I found that wine could still be delicious without all the shit.
Over the years I have made my wines without any additives, without filtering and by only adding small amounts of sulfur to help preserve the wine. In the vineyards that we farm ourselves we only use certified organic products when we need to treat the plants for mildew or economically devastating insect infestations. While not all of the grapes we purchase are farmed this way we make sure that the growers we work with are using sustainable practices.
For me making wine in this manner is a more pure expression of the various vineyards and creates wines with more character and expressive flavors. Also, I feel much better about drinking wines made with only grapes and the native yeasts in my cellar and not all the chemical additives that make commercial wines all taste the same.”
-Ryan Roark