natural wine– also known as naked or raw wine – is fermented grape juice with no additives. It does not contain sulfur dioxide during fermentation and rarely at bottling. There are also no added yeasts or bacteria, acid adjustment, fining, filtration or enzymes.
Typically, wine is made with grapes harvested and crushed, then fermented. Red wine is fermented with skins, giving it that rich red color, while white wine is made with grapes that have already been pressed and fermented without skins. In conventional winemaking, yeast is added to convert sugar to alcohol, then the wine is pressed and transferred to a container for ageing.
However, without using additives like sulfites to preserve flavor or acid to aid aging, the science behind natural winemaking can seem confusing. To understand the process, Plonk Wine Club gathered information from experts and news sources to examine how natural wines are made and how additives and fermentation can affect production.
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Choice of grapes
The winemaking process begins with the vines. According to reports from Voice.
Using native grapes more suited to the region can cause vines to thrive and become more disease resistant, and therefore more durable. Natural winemakers pick grapes by hand instead of relying on machines, further reducing the wine industry’s carbon footprint.
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Pesticides and herbicides
Natural wine is grown without pesticides or herbicides, which were first introduced to agriculture in the 19th century to control the spread of disease. Today, grape pesticides are common — more than 30 million pounds of pesticides were used on conventionally grown California wine grapes in 2018, according to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.
Natural grape growers follow organic or biodynamic farming practices, which means crops are grown without added chemicals. Winemakers will also cultivate holistically, taking into account factors such as the local ecosystem and the lunar cycles of the vineyard.
However, while winemakers can grow organic grapes and pay for certification, that doesn’t mean additives like sulfur, yeast, and acid weren’t used during the fermentation process. It is not because a wine is presented as organic that it is entirely natural.
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Choice of yeast
In order to ferment a batch of wine, lab-grown yeast is typically used with other additives (usually sugar) to create alcohol. However, in natural winemaking, yeast is not added at the fermentation stage. Winemakers rely on the native yeast present in the grapes to trigger natural fermentation. This “wild” yeast swirls through the air, a natural part of the vineyard environment.
Relying on wild yeast means not controlling the particular type of yeast used in the fermentation process, which became popular after French chemist Louis Pasteur discovered the use of yeast in wine fermentation in 1857. However, for at least 8,000 years, winemakers have relied on wild yeast. and natural sugars from grapes to create wine without knowing how the process actually worked.
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Acidity
The use of acid in wine is intended to prevent the growth of bacteria and yeasts. Conventional winemakers add tartaric acid and sulfur dioxide during the preservation phase.
Natural winemakers look for healthy, ripe grapes and pick them early to get better natural acidity from the fruit. Using grapes with lower pH levels, while using little or no sulfur, means fewer microbes survive during the preservation process. However, if grape pH levels are higher (meaning they contain more potassium), winemakers must work with the grape’s existing chemistry.
Although some natural winemakers will produce “raw” wine with no added sulfites, others will produce wine with very small amounts for storage. Sulfites (sulphur dioxide) are added to inhibit bacterial growth, and some say they can be beneficial during the fermentation process by reducing oxidation.
However, some consumers may experience allergic reactions or sensitivities to sulphites, with symptoms including stomach pain, wheezing, asthma, hay fever and hives. “Wine headaches” are also a common symptom, which may make natural wine a preferred option for those with sulphite sensitivities.
This story originally appeared on Plonk Wine Club and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
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The process of making natural wine without additives has been around for centuries. Plonk Wine Club explains natural winemaking and how it differs from conventional practices.
