Natural wine. What is it and what does it mean, what rules apply, how is it distinguished on the label from other wines? Consumers demand transparency and meet various proposals. Independent winemakers and VinNatur, for starters.
‘
In vino veritas’
, sometimes
A bottle of wine encapsulates the experience, labor and passion of those who produce it. Italy is
leader
worldwide in wine production and also excels in those with certified geographical indications
. The productions bio are growing steadily, including on PDOs and bubbles. At South but also in the North (e.g., Franciacorta).
Oenology sometimes must also follow the fashions imposed by consumer demand. The most exemplary case is perhaps that of wine in
barrique
, which broke through in Italy in the 1990s in the wake of a
trend
global. And the popularity of ‘wood flavor’ is such that it has led to legislative reform, which has come to allow the use of wood chips in Europe as well in non-PDO wines (from ‘wine in wood’ to ‘wood in wine’, sic!).
Transparency, however Unfortunately, it is not the rule. The despotic lobby of the ‘
wines & spirits
‘ has managed to grant its products an unwarranted exemption
from the duties of ingredient citation and nutrition 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 Winegrowers,
FIVI
, ‘
represents a very specific category of producers’,
Matilde Poggi, president of the Federation, explains to GIFT. ‘
Those who work on their own vineyards, make their own grapes, bottle their own wine and present it to the market with their own labels. The entire supply chain is managed by the operators themselves. About half of our farms 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 so much, since there is no unambiguous specification. These are wines with as little intervention as possible, both in the vineyard and in the cellar. However, I cannot say how many are.’
And it is difficult to count them by looking at labels that at most say ‘no added sulfites‘
, according to Matilde Poggi.
Independent winemakers In short, they seek direct contact with consumers, to share firsthand the distinctive values of their products. As in fact is the case at the Wine Market, the annual two-day event at the Piacenza Fairgrounds. The label has its limitations, and that is why Matilde Poggi urges members to always use the FIVI logo on bottles. To convey information about theintegrity of a supply chain.
that is rooted in the territory and pursues sustainability goals
.
VinNatur, natural wine made to perfection
VinNatur
,
the Natural Winegrowers Association, brings together more than 170 producers in 9 different countries. Each with its own story and a broad shared goal that echoes and in some respects exceeds the paradigm of organic production.
‘
Producing naturally good wine, with people and the environment
‘. From words to deeds, VinNatur members share and enforce a specification very strict.
‘
Natural wine
‘ in accordance with VinNatur ‘comes from working methods that involve as little intervention as possible in the vineyard and cellar, the absence of chemical additives and human manipulation. Such methods lead winemakers to face many risks, as the path is complex and not always clear, and following it requires extensive awareness and knowledge both in the vineyard and in the winery‘.
In the vineyard, as in organic, attention should be paid to soil fertility, the protection of biodiversity and the balance of the ecosystem-vineyard. Mineral and chemical fertilization, systemic and cytotropic synthetic pesticides, phosphites and chemical insecticides, chemical weeding or desiccation are not allowed. Harvesting must be manual and the use of GMOs, Nbt (new GMOs) is strictly prohibited and derivatives.
L’
absence of pesticides
is one of the imperatives of the members, who in turn make their own wine from the grapes of their own vineyards. Since 2008, VinNatur has been regularly analyzing
the products of each member, with results ‘
very satisfactory since as many as 144 wines, out of a total of 147 samples was found to be completely free of all types of pesticides
‘ (2016 data).
In the winery, spontaneous fermentation is the basic rule. ‘The only additive/ingredient allowed is sulfur dioxide (in pure form or potassium metabisulfite). Bottled wine must have no more than 50 mg/liter of total sulfur dioxide for white, sparkling, sparkling and sweet wines and no more than 30 mg/liter for red and rosé wines. The commitment to a reduction in sulfur dioxide use must be constant, until it is completely abandoned’, reads the specification.
Selected commercial yeasts (although allowed by EU organic wine rules) or enzymes, lysozyme and lactic acid bacteria are not allowed. And the use of any extraneous additives is prohibited, with the sole exception of sulfur dioxide within set limits and with commitment to its gradual reduction. Lastly, invasive practices that tend to alter the intrinsic characteristics of the wine and/or modify its winemaking processes (such as dealcoholisation, heat treatments above 30°C, acidifications or deacidifications, elimination of sulfur dioxide by physical procedures, micro-filtrations) are prohibited.
The next scheduled events
, featuring tastings of the natural wines of 90 and 170 winemakers from all over Europe, respectively, are scheduled:
– next weekend (23-24.2.19) in Rome, in the Officine Farneto Event Area (Via dei Monti della Farnesina 77),
– on 6-8.4.19 in Gambellara (VI), where the non-profit association is based, at the Margraf Show-room (Via Torre di Confine 15).
#NaturalWine
, from the vineyard to the bottle, strictly in glass
! Progress
according to nature is continuous, authentic, independent and as disintermediated as possible.
Dario Dongo and Sabrina Bergamini
Image of
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. Head of Consumers Help. She collaborated with ResetDOC, Il Riformista, La Nuova Ecologia, IMGPress.
