What about natural wine?
âNatural wine doesnât have such a strict definition. Itâs a more holistic term, referring to wine from vineyards that use sustainable practices, often organic, and from wineries that minimise heavy-handed intervention in the winemaking process, such as heavy filtration or the use of commercially sourced yeasts,â says Bird.
Natural wine farmers tend to be focussed on greener agricultural practices and the avoidance of additives. This is where the term âlow interventionâ comes from, meaning that farmers interfere as little as possible with the process. âA lot of natural winemakers will talk about letting the wine go where it wants to go,â explains Phil Bracey, the wine expert and restauranteur behind P Franco and Bright, two of Londonâs top natural wine haunts. âWhereas conventional winemakers are more about consistency, ensuring the wine tastes the same year upon year.â
Often these unfiltered wines will appear cloudy, whilst âskin contactâ refers to orange wine, which is white wine thatâs been made like a red. This means that the grape juice is left in contact with the skins (as opposed to being separated straight away), which is what gives the wine its unique flavour and orange appearance.
Nonetheless, the jury is still out on the question of sulphites, which are compounds added during the winemaking process to prevent bacteria from developing. Natural wines tend to use lower levels of sulphur than conventional wines, however most still contain a small amount to stabilise the end product.