Natural wine. What it is and what it means, which rules apply, how it is distinguished on the label compared to other wines? Consumers demand transparency and encounter various proposals. Independent winemakers and VinNatur, to start.
‘In vino veritas’, sometimes
A bottle of wine contains the experience, work and passion of those who produce it. Italy is leader world leader in wine production and also excels in those with certified geographical indication. Productions organic are continuously growing, also on PDO and sparkling wines. In the South but also in the North (e.g. Franciacorta).
Oenology sometimes must also follow the trends imposed by consumer demand. The most exemplary case is perhaps that of wine in barrique, which gained popularity in Italy in the 90s following a trend global one. And the popularity of the ‘wood flavor’ was such to bring about a legislative reform, also allowing in Europe the use of chips in non-PDO wines (from ‘wine in wood’ to ‘wood in wine’, indeed!).
Transparency, however, unfortunately is not the rule. The despotic lobby of ‘wines & spirits’ has managed to guarantee its products an unjustified exemption from the duties to list ingredients and nutritional declaration on the label. And the consumer is still unable to know whether a wine is made with ‘alien sugars’ or synthetic tartaric acid, instead of grape derivatives.
FIVI, independent winemakers from vine to label
The Italian Federation of Independent Winemakers, FIVI, ‘represents a well-defined category of producers’, explains to GIFT Matilde Poggi, president of the Federation. ‘Those who work on their own vineyards, vinify their grapes, bottle their wine, and present it on the market with their own labels. The entire supply chain is managed by the operators themselves. About half of our companies are organic, some are also biodynamic.’
On natural wines, the president explains that ‘in FIVI there are some producers of so-called natural wines. I do not like this definition much, as there is no univocal regulation. They are wines with the least possible intervention, both in the vineyard and in the cellar. However, I could not say how many there are.’
And it is difficult to count them by looking at the labels which at most bear the wording ‘no added sulfites’, according to Matilde Poggi.
The independent winemakers in short seek direct contact with consumers, to personally share the peculiar values of their products. As indeed happens at the Wine Market, the annual two-day event at the Piacenza Fair. The label has its limits and that is why Matilde Poggi urges members to always use the FIVI logo on the bottles. To convey information about the integrity of a supply chain that is rooted in the territory and pursues sustainability goals.
VinNatur, the natural wine made to rule
VinNatur, the Association of natural winemakers, brings together over 170 producers in 9 different countries. Each with its own story and a shared broad goal, which recalls and in some respects exceeds the paradigm of organic production.
‘Produce naturally good wine, with people and with the environment’. From words to deeds, the members of VinNatur share and apply a protocol very strict.
‘Natural wine‘according to VinNatur rules‘derives from working methods that foresee the least possible interventions in the vineyard and cellar, the absence of chemical additives and manipulations by humans. These methods cause winemakers to face many risks, as the path is complex and not always clear; to follow it requires extensive awareness and knowledge both in the vineyard and in the cellar’.
In the vineyard, as in organic farming, attention must be paid to soil fertility, the protection of biodiversity and the balance of the vineyard ecosystem. Mineral and chemical fertilizers, systemic and citotropic synthetic pesticides, phosphites and chemical insecticides, herbicides or chemical desiccants are not allowed. Harvesting must be manual and the use of GMOs, NBTs (new GMOs) and derivatives is strictly prohibited.
Theabsence of pesticides is one of the imperatives of the members, who in turn vinify their own grapes from their own vineyards. Since 2008 VinNatur regularly analyses the products of each member, with results ‘very satisfactory since 144 wines, out of a total of 147 samples, resulted completely free of any kind of pesticide’ (2016 data).
In the cellar spontaneous fermentation is the basic rule. ‘The only permitted additive/ingredient is sulfur dioxide (in pure form or potassium metabisulfite). Bottled wine must have a total sulfur dioxide content not exceeding 50 mg/liter for white, sparkling, semi-sparkling and sweet wines and not exceeding 30 mg/liter for red and rosé wines. The commitment to reducing sulfur dioxide use must be constant, up to total abandonment,’ states the regulations.
It is not allowed the use of selected commercial yeasts (even if allowed by EU rules on organic wine) nor enzymes, lysozyme and lactic bacteria. The use of any foreign additive is prohibited, with the sole exception of sulfur dioxide within the preset limits and with a commitment to its progressive reduction. Finally, invasive practices that tend to alter the intrinsic characteristics of the wine and/or modify its winemaking processes (such as dealcoholization, heat treatments above 30°C, acidifications ordeacidifications, removal of sulfur dioxide by physical processes, micro-filtrations).
The upcoming events in calendar, with the tasting of natural wines from respectively 90 and 170 winemakers from all over Europe, are scheduled:
– next weekend (23-24.2.19) in Rome, at the Officine Farneto Events Area (Via dei Monti della Farnesina 77),
– 6-8.4.19 in Gambellara (VI), where the non-profit association is based, at the Margraf Show-room (Via Torre di Confine 15).
#VinoNaturale, from the vineyard to the bottle, strictly in glass! Progress according to nature is continuous, authentic, independent, and as much as possible disintermediated.
Dario Dongo and Sabrina Bergamini
Image by cover taken from https://www.vinnatur.org/
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT – Food Times) and Égalité.
Journalist. Consumption, rights, nutrition, social, environment. Editor in chief of Help Consumatori. She has collaborated with ResetDOC, Il Riformista, La Nuova Ecologia, IMGPress.
