joethefoodie Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 A very fine article in The Guardian, entitled Has Wine Gone Bad? Ought to be of interest to a few of us here... As natural wine has grown, it has made enemies. To its many detractors, it is a form of luddism, a sort of viticultural anti-vax movement that lauds the cidery, vinegary faults that science has spent the past century painstakingly eradicating. According to this view, natural wine is a cult intent on rolling back progress in favour of wine best suited to the tastes of Roman peasants. The Spectator has likened it to “flawed cider or rotten sherry” and the Observer to “an acrid, grim burst of acid that makes you want to cry”. Once you know what to look for, natural wines are easy to spot: they tend to be smellier, cloudier, juicier, more acidic and generally truer to the actual taste of grape than traditional wines. In a way, they represent a return to the core elements that made human beings fall in love with wine when we first began making it, around 6,000 years ago. Advocates of natural wine believe that nearly everything about the £130bn modern wine industry – from the way it is made, to the way critics police what counts as good or bad – is ethically, ecologically and aesthetically wrong. Their ambition is to strip away the artificial trappings that have developed in tandem with the industry’s decades-long economic boom, and let wine be wine. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
splinky Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 just drank bunch of bio wine in france. at taillevent the sommelier was super generous (OMG their wine list is mind blowing) and we got to compare some old style wines with some bio wines from the same regions, i preferred the old skool wines. at a tasting event we also tried some bio champagnes that knocked our socks off. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Orik Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 Three sure signs of a dead trend (by which I don't mean it's going anywhere, just like Brooklyn the place isn't going anywhere, just the meaning changes): 1. Controversy on MFF (and The Guardian!) 2. Half the wines at Astor are bio / natural / biodynamic / holistic 3. More fraud than in Burgundy. The "cheap" (like, 2x its price if it were generic supermarket white) bar white from one of the better known natural wine importers has more preservatives in it than any other wine I've tested. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
small h Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 4. I bought a bottle of bio wine at Trader Joe's. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 I am not moved by natural wine for the most part.. I mean, I like them but, they should all be no more than 18 bucks a bottle.. Sometimes, i will put a shot of wine in a glass of water when it's really hot out... Pretty similar for the most part. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
splinky Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 the sellers have been touting that there is less chance of a hangover Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 I have simply not found that to be true. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 (And I’m a believer.) 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
voyager Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 The miscegenation of terms used for these disparate wines has been a substantial hindrance to coherent discussion of them. Organic and biodynamic refer to the growing of grapes. Natural refers to wine making. So organic and bio wines may or may not be natural; natural wines need not be made from organic or bio grapes. As I understand it, a bio wine can be manipulated many ways during the winemaking process, and a natural wine can be made from grapes that were subjected to many kinds of chemicals in the vineyard. Add the fast and loose prose of winemakers, sellers and soms and the current towel of babel comes as no surprise. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Orik Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 Less alcohol on average. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 When Jorge is pouring and pouring (all the while telling you that natural wine gives you less of a hangover), the levels even out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 The miscegenation of terms used for these disparate wines has been a substantial hindrance to coherent discussion of them. Organic and biodynamic refer to the growing of grapes. Natural refers to wine making. So organic and bio wines may or may not be natural; natural wines need not be made from organic or bio grapes. As I understand it, a bio wine can be manipulated many ways during the winemaking process, and a natural wine can be made from grapes that were subjected to many kinds of chemicals in the vineyard. Add the fast and loose prose of winemakers, sellers and soms and the current towel of babel comes as no surprise. exactly, i have had really wonderful organic and biodynamic wines but, never wonderful naturally fermented wines.. I mean, good but, I see myself using it more like a gatorade after a long run. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sneakeater Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 Natural wine is something you either like or you don't. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 I like it, i just don't appreciate it.. I mean, it's alcohol, it tastes good, its kind of one note and light but, it's still good.. I just don't understand the hype, the cost and the scene.. That is all.. I am a simple man.. And it's strange as i often prefer the smoothness of a single varietal or strain depending on what we are talking about but, yeh, i don't disparage anyone who enjoys anything.. If it feels good and you aren't hurting someone else, do it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
splinky Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 The miscegenation of terms used for these disparate wines has been a substantial hindrance to coherent discussion of them. Organic and biodynamic refer to the growing of grapes. Natural refers to wine making. So organic and bio wines may or may not be natural; natural wines need not be made from organic or bio grapes. As I understand it, a bio wine can be manipulated many ways during the winemaking process, and a natural wine can be made from grapes that were subjected to many kinds of chemicals in the vineyard. Add the fast and loose prose of winemakers, sellers and soms and the current towel of babel comes as no surprise. miscegenation? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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