Natural’s not just for hippies

CHEERS

We are clean, we are green and the wines we make as near as damnit to natural as you can get. Or so we are led to believe. But the question still remains: How natural is natural? It depends on who you listen to – the fundamentalists who would have us drinking fermented grape juice or winemakers who, in the interests of quality and consistency, retain at least some control over the grape-growing and winemaking process.

It’s what they do not do, and to what degree, that distinguishes producers of natural wines from those who use tools and additives to get the results they want.

The ‘‘natural’’ winemaker’s aim then is simply to produce wines that deliver a sense of the place from whence they come, which in New Zealand now is just about everywhere. Fortunately it is the sensible version of the natural wine movement that is driving the change. So there is no need to be alarmed when you hear French winemaker Michel Chapoutier denouncing natural winemakers as ‘‘hippies from another world making defective wines’’.

He is referring specifically to those who shun even the use of sulphur dioxide to stabilise their wines.

‘‘Which is a con,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s like making vinegar, bad vinegar. How can anyone allow toxic yeasts to develop so that these inhabit the wine?’’

Though Isabelle Legeron, a Master of Wine and an ‘‘evangelist’’ for natural (in the extreme sense) wines could have a point when she points out that we celebrate unpasteurised, stinky cheese for its uniqueness, and fresh apple juice for its cloudiness, yet we insist on wine that is sterile and consistently processed.

Whatever. In general terms a natural wine should satisfy

The ‘natural’ winemaker’s aim then is simply to produce wines that deliver a sense of the place from whence they come

some or all of the following: Organically or biodynamically grown grapes, with or without certification; dry-farmed, lowyielding vineyards; handpicking; wild, natural yeast; no added sugars, no foreign bacteria; no adjustments for acidity; no additives for colour, mouthfeel, minerality; no flavour additives, including those derived from new oak barrels, staves, chips, or extract; minimal or no fining or filtration; no heavy manipulation, such as micro-oxygenation, reverse osmosis and other technical wizardry; minimal or no added sulphite

They are aims of particular interest to people like biodynamics pioneer James Millton, of Millton Vineyard near Gisborne, who says interest in the production of natural wines is winning more converts every day.

In Marlborough, for instance, it has already led to the formation of a natural winemaking group involving Fromm, Herzog, Huia, Seresin and Te Whare Ra.

How successfully these disciples of the natural winemaking philosophy convert the grapes they grow into wines that are truly expressive of their origin still depends in the end, of course, on those among us who can tell the difference.

And if we are not acquainted with the place of origin?

Let’s for the moment not get cerebral and just celebrate the difference. Try:

Millton Vineyard 2009 Te Arai Chenin Blanc

New Zealand’s finest example of this neglected white from the Loire. Fresh, vibrant and subtly oaked but with time will develop a gorgeously rich, honeyed character.

Seresin 2010 Memento Riesling

Made from hand-picked organic fruit from 18-year-old vines. A lovely, juicy and relatively sweet riesling with citrus-floral characters and a dryish finish. Very smart wine.

Pyramid Valley 2008 Growers Collection Pinot Noir

Hand-picked in Central Otago, fermented with indigenous yeast and bottled without fining or filtering. A big, powerful, wine with a long, happy and rewarding life.

Hans Herzog 2009 Marlborough Chardonnay

The price of this delicious wine reflects in part the the meticulous care involved in its production. And it shows. A rich, stonefruited chardonnay complete with a meal and biscuits bouquet.