Reyneke Organic Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Western Cape South Africa 2021 (£10.99, Waitrose) As a lover of many wines grouped as “natural wines,” I often surprise this loosely defined genre with a zero-tolerance attitude towards winemaking additives. It's there. I've heard complaints when I poured “natural” wines for friends at wine trade events, strange, dirty, moushy, or on a farm. However, in the mildly broken jokes of recent episodes, bias appears to be very widespread. GuardianFootball every week. For me, it all reminds me of the methods that they used to talk about organic wine. This was often seen as good for the planet back in the 2000s, but bad for the palate. Natural winemakers may take the hearts of the fact that organic is an unquestionable part of the mainstream these days, and for some, even a marker of quality. This is perfectly justified in the case of Reineke's rich, attractive cape clet.
M Chapoutier Combe Pilate Viognier, IGP Collines Rhodaniennes, France 2022 (from 15 pounds, thevinorium.co.uk Frazierswine.co.uk; ndjohn.co.uk)) My own position on natural wine is that it is the next logical step from organic. If you don't use chemicals in your vineyard, it makes sense to try and avoid them in your winery. Like all wines, there are good and bad examples. It all comes down to the talent and application of winemakers and the quality of the fruit they work with. And when it comes to good bottles, I don't single out as “natural,” but write it as “wine” just like everyone else. The fact is (thinking more than there are drinkers who just drink naturally). It's a story similar to biodynamics, the form of the agriculture universe. This requires the horns of fertilized cows to be buried in the fields, and despite my reservations about the astral and moon calendars, and the lack of science behind it. It is used to make many of my favorite wines, including the gorgeous, fresh yet fleshed old man and am scented whites of Chaptier.
Orsogna Padami Dop Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, Italy 2022 (£14.50, vintageroots.co.uk)) Michel Chaptier is one of the most vocal supporters in the world of biodynamics. But he is not anyone's idea of small producers (he is one of the biggest producers in the Rhone Valley and is interested elsewhere in France and abroad). In blind tastings, we can say “these are biomechanical.” The same applies to the case of organic and biodynamic red wines recently sent by one of the leading players in the mainstreaming of organic and biodynamic wines in the UK over the past decades: imports of organic specialists Dealers and suppliers, vintage roots. The company sent me seven wines. The highlight of it was the soft, feathered, sweet, and wonderfully valuable Orsogna Padami Montepulciano, the stylish and fragrant domaine bousquet reserve Malbec, Mendoza 2022 (£15.50) – tasted. You can act as an ambassador to convince the rest of the skeptics about the benefits of organic and biodynamic (in this case natural) wine.
