So, what is Natural wine…?

Natural wine, for us, is just about quality.

The term ‘natural wine’ has gained traction in recent years and often has connotations of being ‘funky’ or cloudy and tasting, well, not always that great. There are obviously some really raw and experimental natural wines out there, just like with anything (think of some of the more ‘out-there’ craft beer flavours available….), but these are not the wines we choose at Ludo’s.

We select our wines for their clarity, quality and, most importantly, their drinkability.

We work with an amazing small independent importer, Pure Wines, who have good relationships with all their wineries - even collaborating on bespoke wines exclusively for the UK.

One of the main wineries that we buy from is Bodega Recuero in Spain (they supply our house wines). Please see below for a little biography on them from our importer:

“Bodega Recuero, producing wine since 1873, is owned and run by Jesus Recuero who inherited the winery (bodega) from his ancestors along with a great passion for their vineyards in Villanueva De Alcardate, close to Toledo in Castilla La Mancha. Jesus, a trained agricultural engineer and oenologist, greatly cherishes the knowledge and winemaking traditions that accumulated through the years and passed down to him by his father and grandfather. Guzqia, the vineyard in Alcardate, along with another vineyard in Extremadura contain age-old vines of endemic grape varieties; some of which are almost completely forgotten, such as Moravia, Airen del Pais, Verdoncho, Albillo Pardo, Pinuelo (a strain of Granache), Verdejo Serrena (Rufeta Blanca), Palomino and a few others. The wines are purely and carefully elaborated to create truly magnificent results. We are very happy to be able to bring these wines to the UK and hope you try them.”

OK, here comes the science…

Conversations about organic wine production have become commonplace as more attention is being paid to environmentally-friendly methods of farming and sustainability in agriculture. As a result, phrases such as ‘organic wine’ or ‘biodynamic wine‘ are often heard nowadays but not as often understood. So what do these terms actually mean?

The key point when discussing these ideas is the difference in work done in the vineyard versus work done in the cellar. In this article, we will demystify these terms, so that you can be clear on the differences and make an informed decision.

Organic Wine

Let’s start with the broadest term, Organic Wine. Much like other types of organic farming, organic wine simply means that the grapes have not been sprayed with pesticides, fungicides or any other kind of synthetics.

This is an important step on the way to more sustainable farming as chemicals used in conventional winemaking poison the soil, meaning that a range of biodiversity in the vineyard is unable to flourish. The result is that the vine is effectively disconnected from the soil it is growing on – it may as well be grown in a lab. Organic wine is typically certified, however, this does not have any bearing on how the wine is actually made in the cellar.

Whilst organic cultivation is important and encouraged, in organic winemaking the phrase ‘organic’ only extends as far the vineyard and stops at the cellar door. This means that a range of interventionist processes can still be used - such as blocked malolactic fermentation, cyro-extraction and sterile filtration. Furthermore, up to 150 additives can be included in the wine such as colourants, flavour enhancers, acids, tannins and enzymes.

All the wines we serve are not only organic but also made without any of these processes or additives. Natural and delicious!

Biodynamic Wine

Biodynamic Wine takes the idea of organic farming to the next level. Invented by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s, biodynamic farming not only aims to produce grapes organically it also includes the usage of biodynamic preparations - such as composts made from organic matter that enrich the vineyard and its surrounding soil.

Moreover, it also takes into account the astrological calendar and planetary movements which dictate when the grapes should, and should not, be picked. Whilst this may not be scientifically supported, biodynamic farming views the vineyards as a whole ecosystem in which each life form, be it great or small, has an important part to play in the wine that is bottled. For example, animals are allowed to roam freely through the vines! 

Biodynamic certification does work within certain guidelines as to what is allowed to be done to the wine in the cellar, however, interventionist practices and additives can still be added.

Natural Wine

Organic and Biodynamic winemaking taken to its a logical conclusion.

Natural Wine by definition is not only organic but is also made with the bare minimum of intervention both in the field and in the cellar. The grapes are organic and hand-harvested, the wine is allowed to spontaneously ferment using indigenous yeasts, no sterile filtering or fining processes are used and only the tiniest amount of sulphur dioxide is occasionally added at bottling stage just to allow the wines to travel safely around the world.

#naturalwinefeelingfine