Natural wines – a hoax?
Riccardo Cotarella attacks the “natural wine movement” and its representatives head-on in an article in “Gambero Rosso” (https://www.gamberorosso.it/notizie/notizie-vino/vini-naturali-inganno-cotarella).
I fully agree with Cotarella’s technical comments. However, I don’t agree with the overall condemnation. The categorisation of wine producers into “conventional” and “natural” is unproductive.
Top-quality wine producers prioritise reducing SO2 levels in their wine and focus on enhancing the wine’s quality right from the vineyard, as discussed in our interview with LiĆ¹ Pambufetti. It puzzles me why “natural” wine producers are hesitant to regulate fermentation temperatures. The decision to clarify and filter wine depends on personal preference and the desired stability of the wine. I do not enjoy the taste of most “natural” wines, as highlighted in my previous article.
Although I am against how some factions of the natural wine movement demonise modern wine production, I am wary of falling into the same trap.
What is called natural wine is a new fashion, but an enrichment of the wine world that is also attracting new clients.
No one should presume to possess the truth.