Kristi Mayfield, CMS1 / WSET2 / Wine / Education

If it comes from nature, it must be natural, right?

Well this one’s going to be fun! On a recent trip back home to Kansas City, MO (yes, that’s my home state!), I was excited to have the opportunity to deep dive into my wine trend series with Ryan Sciara, owner of Underdog Wines. Heading out to one of my favorite areas of KC, my field trip landed me in a divine 650 ft² wine shop bursting with liquid lusciousness. From the moment I entered, my trend theme was playing out perfectly as the first section to the left inside the front door was brimming with unctuous Pet Nat wines! I knew I had found my happy place!

Having reached out to Ryan prior to my arrival (thanks for the intro Jeremy Lamb!), I knew I was in for a fun journey through “wine-derland”. After obligatory introductions interrupted by a few wine deliveries (still a little sour none of the delivery folks bit when I suggested they could just load the boxes into the back of my Dad’s trusty old SUV), I was thrilled to learn not only Ryan’s, but also his loyal clientele’s passion for natural wines. AH HA! Here we go! IPad and keyboard ready, I was as prepared as Ralphie in The Christmas Story’s secret code scene, to discover the magic behind the trend.

How, my friend, do you define natural?

Seriously? I ask this simple question? Not so fast, stick with me on this one. Natural, organic, biodynamic and many other terms are frequently tossed out in the wine world so frivolously as though everyone should know exactly what each of them means. In reality, they each have hundreds of interpretations and definitions. For me, I really like and appreciate the simplicity in Ryan’s definition of natural wine – “there is nothing added, and there is nothing taken away.” Boom. Simple and super easy to understand! Agreed?

Farmers and wine makers have treasure chests of tools, tricks, and potions they can administer from vineyard through harvest, fermentation through bottling. Those practicing natural wine making rely only on Mother Nature and gifts she gives them during the growing season, harvest, wine making all the way to your glass. This allows the fruit, or grape varietal, to shine in its purest form unmasked and un-manipulated. Pure, sexy wine at it’s glorious best.

But isn’t it a bit funky and should I be scared?

True, natural wine is often unfined and unfiltered meaning things like dead yeast cells remaining after fermentation is complete may be left in the wine giving it a cloudy hazy appearance. GROSS! Are you kidding me? You want me to drink dead stuff? Yup, that’s what I’m saying! Some unfined and unfiltered wine has actually been carefully removed from the vessel in which it fermented and looks nearly clear. It’s still natural, as no filtration process was used. The wine maker simply allowed all those gross dead yeasty-things to settle at the bottom of the vessel before carefully siphoning off the good stuff while leaving the dead carcasses of yeast to their own demise. `

The yeast used in natural wine making naturally occurs on the grapes and in the vineyard. Upon contact with the sugar-infused grape juice released when grapes are crushed, this yeast ignites the magic chemical reaction transforming the sugar into alcohol. Who knew I would ever be a fan of chemistry? Better yet, with nothing added and nothing taken away in the process, the true expression of the wine can be dramatic, expressive, complex, even hypnotic! This is not your parent’s Friday night libation – it can be utterly shocking! In the best of ways!
Be not afraid! Do not walk, but RUN to your favorite wine shop and find a few natural wines to try for yourself. I carried a few bottles out of Underdog Wines and popped the cork of one over a steaming bowl of Lobster Bisque with my mom. The blend of Grenache Blanc and Viogner was anything but simple, it was utterly delicious – dead yeasty haze and all! Thank you Chateau Puech Redon for creating “Apparente” and thank you Ryan for making the pick. I hid the other bottles I purchased in a secret place at my parent’s house for my next visit. I was super sad to leave them behind, but am strict in following my rule of no checked bags when I fly. Wait for me my friends, I’ll be back for you soon!

In a world of illusion, photo-shopping, social media, artificial intelligence, space exploration and all the other high tech and high intensity experiences we are exposed to every day, I find the “natural wine” trend extremely refreshing! It’s simple, it’s pure and it’s yum. Time to get your trend on, my friend!