For a long time, I’ve been captivated by the word “natural” and how it has been embraced by a movement that celebrates new ways of making wine. It's fascinating how such a simple word can encompass such a wide range of concepts, each contributing to the unique allure of ‘natural’ wine. Moreover, considering wine is made from grapes, how can any wine not be considered a natural product? 

‘Low intervention’ is one of the buzzwords that’s closely connected to the natural winemaking movement. This term relates to the addition of products to aid production and refine the final liquid.  

Sulfites – and in what quantity they are added – are the most contentious issue in natural vs. conventional winemaking at the moment. The natural winemaking movement has launched a war on sulfites, casting them as the devil that destroys what’s in your glass. On the contrary, I think of sulfites as the saviour of wine. 

What are Sulfites (SO2)? 

SO2 is a gas heavier than oxygen – and it is produced NATURALLY! It’s a byproduct of fermentation – the process of turning grape juice into wine.

Did you know that SO2 is found in many food products? A pack of nuts could contain as much as 20 times the amount of sulfites used in a bottle of wine. Winemakers also add sulfur sparingly at the end of the bottling process; not to harm the wine, but to ensure its stability and protect it from oxidation. This careful addition is key to the winemaking process, helping to preserve the wine's quality from winery to table.

Until very recently, there were no laws around what constitutes a ‘natural wine’ – so the content of sulfites could range from 40 ppm to 100 ppm (parts per million). 

Are Sulfites Dangerous? 

In small quantities, sulfites are not allergenic or harmful. They only pose a risk in high doses for people with asthma or respiratory issues. It's important to understand that sulfites are not the cause of most wine allergies, but rather a necessary part of the winemaking process. Most people who claim to be allergic to wine are usually reacting to the additives in non-natural wines, such as colourants or artificial flavourings. These are the wines which I consider non-natural. 

When Wines aren’t Filtered and Sulphured

Last week, we were having dinner with a group of friends, and one of them brought a bottle of Puligny Montrachet. I love this Burgundian appellation for its fresh and zippy yet beautifully balanced Chardonnay. With a wax seal and expensive looking label stock, the bottle looked premium and I was very much looking forward to tasting it. I was so disappointed to discover a cloudy wine with an overpowering yeast smell when I poured it! 

Typically, these spent yeasts – used to convert the sugars from grape juice into alcohol – are removed at the end of the winemaking process. 

In the early stages of my career, I worked as a cellar hand and had to go into the tanks to clean excess yeast. The smell was horrible! Similar to sour bread. As you can imagine, we would not add this to the wine. Distilling companies used to collect it together with other parts of unwanted grapes and seeds to be distilled and made into spirits.

So I wonder why this producer from such a celebrated region as Puligny decided to leave the yeast in the bottle, killing the character and clean aromatics that gave this wine such a reputation in the first place? 

The wine was cloudy – faulty, even. The nose was dirty, yeasty, and oxidized. Only underneath could one appreciate the potential. It could have been an excellent wine had it been filtered and stabilized.

Of course I appreciate others’ tastes and opinions and some people may like these characters. But this shouldn't be called natural. It should be called ‘unfiltered and unstabilized without sulfites’, with a warning label in red. 

Some of today’s natural wines bring me back to Turbio, a cheap Spanish wine, which cost €1 and was unfiltered and unlabelled. The wine was so light and fresh that producers kept the lees (the spent yeast cells) to add character and complexity. In reality, it was faulty; a way of using up juice that was otherwise unfit to be sold or distilled.  

Organic & Biodynamic Grape Growing

Despite my reservations about ‘natural’ winemaking, I’m a huge advocate for wines made with excellent vineyard techniques, such as organic grape growing and maintaining the natural balance to boost vine growth without herbicides or pesticides.

At a recent Vinexpo fair, I had the opportunity to go through an extended range from a large cooperative from the northern Rhône in France. I was shocked to see the quality difference in wine made from non-organic vs. organic vineyards. With the high rainfall and humidity, there’s no doubt that it’s challenging to grow grapes organically in the Northern Hemisphere. But by decreasing the yield and using specific techniques in the vineyard, it is possible. And the results are excellent.  

Biodynamic agriculture was developed by scientist and philosopher, Rudolf Steiner,  in the 1920’s. It’s a method that many modern wineries have adopted, from the old world to the new. As well as organics, it pays heed to the cycles of the moon and a specific range of non-chemical preparations to treat the vineyard. This holistic approach helps to boost the vitality of the vineyard’s soil to therefore support healthy vines and restore the balance in nature.

Conclusion

Perhaps with the above in mind, you’ll understand why I’m tired of hearing people use the word ‘natural’ without any clue about what that actually means, or what going ‘sulfite-free’ actually does to the wine.  

“I don’t get a hangover when I drink natural wine”. 

Sulfites or no sulfites, the alcohol volume in a wine is the same and therefore the hangover will be just as bad. Sorry.

“I only drink natural wines, and they are the best”.

I disagree with this sentiment, especially when one is  based in a remote area like Bali, Indonesia, like I am now. Sulfites are preservatives that stabilise wine and help it to reach our table with freshness and quality.

We currently represent four wines with no added sulfites, and we see the evolution of these wines after the trip to Bali from France under temperature controlled containers. 

Sometimes, they seem different from the wine we taste in France, at the home of the producer. On top of this, after six months, wine declines in colour and gets unwanted changes in flavour and aroma that most customers do not enjoy and consider faulty.

However, I believe natural and natural-leaning wines could be considered a proximity product to enjoy when you are close to the source. I always enjoy farm-to-table restaurants and products from the local region. This includes being more adventurous with locally produced ‘sulfite-free’ or ‘natural’ wines. However, I’m more than skeptical when I am months away by the sea in Asia.