The low‑down on natural wines

1 Natural wines, organic wines and biodynamic wines are three separate concepts. Organic wines are made from grapes that are organically farmed, in accordance with the organic laws of the country—most of which are about restricting the use of chemicals in the soil. Biodynamic wines are made in accordance with a holistic, spiritual philosophy using a planting calendar and respect for ecological self-sufficiency. All three styles espouse minimal or no chemical usage, but cannot be used interchangeably.

2 Natural wines are not cheaper. More manual labour, from the hand-picking of the grapes to the handcrafting of the wines, means more cost. As the wines are also less protected without preservatives, they require careful handling and refrigerated shipping, which add to the cost.

3 Natural wines may still contain sulphites. While additives are frowned upon in natural winemaking, sulphites—a preservative—can be added in very small amounts to avoid the wine turning bad. Natural wines may contain up to 20 ppm (parts per million) sulphites, while conventional wines may have anything up to 350 ppm. Dried fruits such as raisins and prunes range from 500 ppm to 2,000 ppm.

4 Natural wines are not mainstream. Despite the outsized media interest around natural wines, it makes for less than 1 per cent of the global wine production. The larger category of organic wines is estimated to account for just 3 per cent of global wine consumption.