London Connect

"This is no ordinary wine tasting", I think to myself, as I scribble tasting notes such as 'sweaty armpits' and 'pig poo' onto my tasting sheet. The expressions on the faces of other tasters, seasoned wine professionals all, mirror my own incredulity. We knew we were in for some surprises and challenging discussion when we were invited to this tasting of 'natural wine', and we weren't disappointed.

The so-called 'natural wine' phenomenon has its roots in France. The big daddy of natural wine was a Beaujolais-based fourth-generation winemaker and chemist called Jules Chauvet, who died in 1989. His exacting approach to winemaking and wine-tasting gave birth to the natural wine movement, which has gathered steam since his death. Paris is the naturalistes' epicentre and there are growing numbers of 'natural wine' bars in San Francisco, New York, Tokyo - and London.

The London phenomenon is largely thanks to one leading wine importer, Les Caves de Pyrene. They are not only running this tasting for the wine professionals, they also run the critically acclaimed wine bar Terroirs which is where most Londoners are likely to have encountered these'natural wines'.But Terroirs is not alone; otherwine bars with lists of 'natural wines' include Artisan & Vine, and Green & Blue.

The term 'natural wine' is a direct translation from the French vin naturel, but it seems to lose something in the journey across La Manche. Here, cynical Brits often object to this a meaningless term. 'Natural' has no clear or legal definition in relation to wine and, more worryingly, it smacks of marketing doublespeak. Surely something that's 'natural' has got to be great for you, right? Well, no. Polio's 'natural', and I don't want any of that, thanks - and you can keep your '100% natural' sugar-laden, over-processed snack bars too.

Perhaps 'natural wine' is best understood as anti-interventionist winemaking. Winemakers who share the 'naturalist' philosophy take organically or biodynamically produced wine as the staring point, but then go further. Douglas Wregg, a director of Les Caves de Pyrene and self-confessed wine naturalist, describes the process as, "from vineyard to bottle, there's nothing added in and nothing taken out". The grapevines are tended without artificial fertilizers, crop levels are kept low to increase quality and, once they're harvested and taken to the winery, they're subjected to only the minimum of what it takes to turn grape juice into wine.

The reticence to use sulphur dioxide (which acts as a preservative) is a major difference between 'natural' wine production and 'mere' organics and/or biodynamics. Naturalistes believe that using the absolute minumum of sulphur - or none at all - is what keeps the wine 'alive'. Detractors say wine without sulphur is in merely vinegar in the making.

These 'natural wines' are the antithesis of the mass-market, big-brand wines made on an industrial scale and for which consistency and 'brand identity' drive the sales. 'Natural wines' vary a great deal from vintage to vintage, and even from day to day - one of the wines we tasted has taken it upon itself to spontaneously undergo a secondary fermentation in its bottle, something that would count as a serious fault in any conventional wine.

So what is the appeal of such wines that are, by conventional winemaking standards, so unpredictable and at times a liability? As well as being perceived to fit in witha move towards smaller-scale, more sustainable agriculture, 'natural wines'suit the mood of anti-globalisation, and chime with the growing chorus of discontent surrounding big business in general, whether it be big banks or big supermarkets.

They're zeitgeisty for sure, these 'natural wines'. But are they any good? In common with the other tasters at the table, I found a few wines that were surprising and unusual in a good way - I enjoyed drinking them and they tasted like nothing I'd ever tasted before. But one or two (including the sweaty, poo-stinking one) I found undrinkable; there were a handful that tasted like cider and seemed to have set out on the road to vinegar. Others had the brown colour and bruised-fruit aroma that denotes oxidation. Even the evangelical Wregg admits that, "natural wines are a good thing, but not all natural wines are good".

Then there's cost - they're expensive. The least costly of the wines we tasted was £12.99 per bottle, something that prompted one fellow taster - a Master of Wine - to describe them as "the emperor's new clothes". Detractors of natural wines insist that these wines, changeable as they unashamedly are, make them unsuitable for the majority of wine drinkers. And they're right - you'll never see a 'natural wine' in a supermarket.

These are wines made by hand, by people, not in large, industrial-scale wineries. Drinking them is like going to a festival: they're full of odd characters, some are surprisingly delightful, others incomprehensible, and some others clearly unwell - but the overall effect is uplifting, if philosophically challenging. And you can't say that about Blossom Hill or Jacob's Creek, can you?

Susan Low is the award-winning former editor of WINE magazine and Time Out's wine writer.

London wine bars serving 'natural wines'

Terroirs, 5 William IV St, Strand, WC2N 4DW (7036 0660) Charing Cross tube/rail.

Artisan & Vine, 126 St Johns Hill, Battersea, SW11 1SL (7228 4997).Clapham Junction rail.

Green & Blue, 36-38 Lordship Lane, Dulwich, SE22 8HJ (8693 9250). East Dulwich rail.

You can also buy a selection of 'natural wines' from France, Italy and New Zealand from Zelas Wines, 216 Archway Rd, N6 5AX (8347 9006).  Highgate tube.

Question - what would you choose as a term instead of 'natural wine'?