Lately, the term “natural wine” is often heard among wine lovers. You might even hear “This is a natural wine” at wine bars or restaurants. But what exactly is natural wine, and how is it different from what’s known as “conventional wine”? Let’s break it down.
Put simply, Natural Wine is made using wild (natural) yeast and minimal to no additives, with the goal of letting the grapes and terroir speak for themselves. From the vineyard to the bottle, the human intervention is kept to a minimum. No pesticides or herbicides, no added sugars or acids, and often no sulfites. Natural wines are seen as a return to tradition and purity.
On the other hand, Conventional Wine is made using controlled techniques and selected yeasts, with a focus on consistency and reliability. Many wines available at supermarkets or restaurants are conventional wines. They may use chemical treatments in vineyards, laboratory yeasts for predictable fermentation, and sulfites for stability and shelf life.
Natural wines tend to be cloudy, may taste a bit funky, and can vary bottle to bottle – some see this as charm, others as inconsistency. Conventional wines are clear, structured, and more stable in flavor, which many beginners find easier to enjoy.
So which one is better? That depends on your taste and values.
👉 Natural wine embraces authenticity, nature, and surprise.
👉 Conventional wine stands for precision, balance, and consistency.
Both approaches have value. Exploring both will help you understand what kind of wine drinker you are.
In the next column, we’ll dive into fermentation methods – partial vs complete fermentation – and how they shape a wine’s sweetness and alcohol content.
Keywords: natural wine, conventional wine, wild yeast, wine philosophy, wine additives, beginner wine guide, wine fermentation, wine styles
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