Natural wine is made the way wine used to be made — mostly by human hands, fermented naturally with local yeasts, containing little or no additives.
Eduard Seitan can tell you all about it. He’s a certified sommelier and partner at One Off Hospitality Group, the restaurant management company behind many of Chicago’s finest restaurants, including avec, Blackbird, Violet Hour, and, most recently, Café Cancale. Seitan’s definition of natural wine is simple: it’s “wine made without anything added or subtracted.”
That may seem like a no-brainer approach to winemaking, but too often various additives are thrown in to preserve the wine or “fine-tune” its flavor. This includes chemicals or other interventions like powdered tannins, which are thought to enhance mouthfeel and texture. But natural elements can also be taken out of wine; these subtractions often occur during filtration, a mechanical intervention that helps create the clear liquid many prefer.
All of this can become rather technical, and Seitan notes that when he’s training staff to explain natural wines to customers, he urges them to be as straightforward as possible. “I usually say, ‘Natural wine is made without manipulation, is unfiltered, made with indigenous yeasts, and includes minimal or no added sulfites.’”
But what about the taste and texture of natural wines? “They are alive,” says Seitan. “There’s an edible quality to them that makes me want to eat, but generally, they are lower in alcohol and usually have no ‘side effects’ — no hangover.”
Clearly, there’s lots to like about natural wines, as we discovered when we talked to some of Chicago’s leading wine experts.
“Lower alcohol, packed with personality” Rebecca Schliff, Wine Director at Bad Hunter
“The natural winemaker knows that the most important part of the winemaking process is starting with healthy grapes, harvested by hand. Natural wine is the union of responsible farming practices followed by minimal human intervention in the cellar.
Many natural wines are light-hearted and meant to be drunk young, not to be aged for years in a cellar. They are lower in alcohol and packed with personality and natural grape flavors. They can be juicy, bright, fresh, and just plain enjoyable with or without food.
Right now, I’m into Envinate ‘Lousas’ from the Ribeira Sacra, Spain. Made from the native Mencia grape, this is a beautiful natural wine, with aromatics of fresh red fruit followed by smoke, soil tones, and graphite, with a distinct sense of place that makes it special.”
“Each bottle is slightly different” Richard Hanauer, Associate Partner/Sommelier at Bar Ramone
“The best part about natural wine is the lack of effect it has on the environment and the people who farm it. If a winery decides to use a chemical, it usually means humans will be involved, which increases health risks. Not using these is much better for the vineyard and surrounding environment.
My favorite quality of natural wines is the texture: The particles that haven’t been removed roam free, adding great grit and texture. Each bottle is slightly different. The wines aren’t usually consistent bottle-to-bottle, which makes them more difficult to accurately recommend to guests because the flavors you may promise aren’t always guaranteed when delivered to the table.
One of my favorite producers is Guy Breton. As a great introduction, I would try his Morgon Vieilles Vignes. The combination of the granite soils, carbonic winemaking, and the natural influence of no fining and filtering lead to some seriously complex Gamay.”
“Delicious in ways that are different from conventional wines” Collin Moody, Beverage Director at Income Tax
“Natural wine tends to be made by small farmers who are preserving local traditions and committed to farming in a way that’s sustainable or regenerative to the earth. The main advantage of natural wines is that they’re what wine has been for thousands of years, and they’re frequently very delicious in ways that are different from conventional wines. Natural wines tend to feature more mineral notes with wild herbal or savory qualities. They’re also often lower in alcohol, which makes them very food-friendly, and they often feel more digestible.
One of our favorite producers is Éric Texier from the Northern Rhone in France; his Brézème Vieille Serine is made with grapes from vines almost 100 years old. This is one of the most stunning Syrahs from an area of France that has been making wine since Roman times. These wines are very much alive and always changing, so we constantly taste and consider what is ready to be served and what may need a little time in the bottle to show itself.”
“Truthfulness is very attractive” Michael Seward, Wine Director at Pops for Champagne
“From a consumer standpoint, a sense of ‘knowing’ is advantageous. With natural wines, you know you’re not drinking something boosted up with chemicals or other things you wouldn’t think of putting into your body. That’s a comfortable place to be.
I find the natural wine category fascinating because of the honest approach. The truthfulness is very attractive to me. Clos Lentiscus is a naturally-made wine that I love. The family reinvigorated some old vineyards growing the indigenous black grape Sumoll. They are making a sparkling wine using completely biodynamic farming techniques that are entirely dedicated to the health of the vineyards. In a very unique micro-climate, they are inciting secondary fermentation with honey from the bees they keep on the farm.”
“Nuance, texture, and a little funk” Rachael Lowe, Beverage Director at Spiaggia
“There are extremes when it comes to natural wine: Some feature simply lower intervention — perhaps unfined, unfiltered, and organic — while others are literally fermenting juice, left mainly to its own devices with natural yeasts. The category has an extremely flexible definition that leaves individuals to translate as they will.
There can be some wonderful natural wines produced with nuance, texture, and a little funk that adds character and the je ne sais quoi quality that some people are looking for. They can pair well with certain [dynamic] foods and offer a savory element that can be a fun addition to one’s meal.
I like Valentina Passalacqua’s Terra Minuta from Puglia, Italy. This wine is made by a woman who’s very forward-thinking for the region; she makes wine with extremely low intervention. She does not fine or filter, which leaves a lot of character in the wine. It’s extremely aromatic, with notes of peach, white flower, lemon, and mango.”
Rachael Lowe
Where to Buy Natural Wine in Chicago
Now that you know all about the delicious phenomenon that is natural wine, drop by these Chicago stops to taste them yourself.
Red & White {1861 North Milwaukee Avenue; 773.486.4769}
Says Nathan Adams, owner of Red & White: “Our natural wine selection is vast. We are very fortunate to have established personal relationships with a lot of our producers, and we truly believe and trust in the exceptional work they’re doing. It all starts with the farming and how the land is taken care of, and then it continues with the ferments (native yeasts, little to no additions/subtractions, and minimal intervention).”
Picks: “Some of the wines I am most excited about include anything from Michael Gindl, Julien Labet, and Oriol Artigas. The wines are always articulate, captivating, and thought-provoking. They all tell incredible stories.”
BottlesUp! {3164 North Broadway; 773.362.4999}
According to Melissa Zeman of BottlesUp!: “Ours isn’t a ‘natural wine shop,’ but we do strive to carry well-made products across the board, which includes a solid selection of smaller natural producers that changes weekly. Since our wines are organized by body/weight, the natural wines are intermingled with the rest of the wines.”
Picks: “I was recently introduced to Familia Cecchin’s 2018 Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina, which I like because it’s a medium-bodied red that falls under $20 on the shelf — a good gateway price point. Another fantastic one is Valentina Passalacqua. She’s an Italian female winemaker making incredible wines, like Terra Minuta (a Fiano/Greco Bianco blend), which I love for its freshness.”
Outside Voices {3204 West Armitage Avenue}
From the people who brought you Scofflaw, Slippery Slope, and Moonlighter comes Outside Voices, a wine bar that focuses on minimal intervention wines. Davis Sayer runs the beverage program at Outside Voices, and he tells us natural wines are increasing in popularity due to “the rise in consumer interest in sustainability and the ‘casual’ vibe of the natural wine scene, which helps remove some of the pretenses and makes natural wine feel more accessible than conventional wine.”
From their Logan Square location, Outside Voices offers reds, whites, oranges, and rosés. And to complement their wide range of natural wines, charcuterie and snacks like mussels in escabeche and Utz potato chips make for a delicious evening.
By David Hammond
The post A Toast to Natural Wines in Chicago appeared first on DiningOut Chicago.