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 Liù 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.