Nature itself is full of mystery, but so is a visit to a natural wine shop! So, it shouldn’t be a surprise natural wine brings it’s own set of mysteries in every bottle! Much of the wine consumed, especially in the U.S. is driven by consistency, the familiar, knowing what to expect each time the cork is popped. Mother nature doesn’t make this easy as she can flip the switch on temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind and so many other influences in the vineyard. This leaves the winemaker the challenge of creating the consistent flavor consumers expect when they purchase their favorite brand or bottle.
Oh, the mystery found in a natural wine shop!
Consistency and familiarity are not the first thing I would ever suggest one consider when exploring natural wines! Natural wines, by nature (yup, I meant to say that!), are defined as those which have experienced no manipulation in the vineyard or during the fermentation / winemaking process. Whatever Mother Nature throws at the vintner, she or he must relish and cherish from vineyard to bottle. And this, my friends, is where the fun really begins!
Fun? Did someone say fun? If you think solving the mysteries of a natural bottle of wine is fun, then yes! Fun! During a recent wine event with my sommelier study group, our educational theme was natural wines for summer. Liz and Daniella at The Holly in Fort Worth, TX treated us to a super cool and fun flight of 4 wines each delivering something surprising and mysterious. Every visit brings something new! (Check out my W.O.W. weeks 1 & 2 with Liz!) Unexpected and intriguing. Here are a few of the unexpected nuances and why they naturally occurred.
And now to solve the mysteries natural wine brings…
Tiny bubbles. And no, this was not a sparkling wine. Instead, a natural white wine where the fermentation process kept plugging away even after the wine was bottled! Itty bitty bubbles of carbon dioxide got trapped and instead of screaming and yelling, they integrated into the wine giving us a slightly fizzy treat. Who doesn’t think bubbles are fun?
Foresty funk. Funk? Fun? Let me explain! Wine flavors and aromas often mimic fruits, florals, herbs, smoke and even baking spice. Some of the more intriguing aromas are slightly more difficult to identify and lean more toward odd, but completely natural, smells like forest floor, compost, even mushrooms. Natural wines, especially reds, can have even stronger earthy smells. This, my friends, can be super fun and the more you swirl the wine in your glass and let it open, the more interesting the smells can become!
Particular particulates. Natural wine often isn’t crystal clear and translucent. Cloudiness, haze, suspended particles and other foreign objects float effortlessly in the bottle and are more than happy to end up in your glass. Isn’t this a bad thing? No! Not at all! It’s simply the result of the wine maker’s decision to not filter the wine, or it’s the remnants of the wine making process itself. Don’t gross out, but the yeast necessary to turn the sugar in the grape juice into that yummy wine doesn’t disappear. Those yeast cells sacrifice their very existence so you can sip and enjoy your wine. As a parting gift to you, wines remain in your wine (barrel, tank or bottle) and continue to gift you with more complex flavors and aromas and just may still be in the bottle when you open it.
Natural wine mysteries are waiting to be solved
These are just a few of the mysteries a natural wine can hold within every bottle. Most importantly, they are not to be considered faults or elements diminishing the value or quality of the wine. They are considered mysterious gifts of nature to be explored, if not ever fully understood. So go visit your nearby natural wine shop and discover your own wine mysteries!
Cheers! 🍷
#naturalwines #nature #mysteries #mysteriesofnature #wine #winetasting #secrets #wineeducation #domsom.us #thehollyftw #ilovewine #womenwholovewine
