It's the buzzword of the decade, but what does it actually mean?
You’ve probably heard the words ‘natural’, ‘minimal intervention’ and ‘organic’ thrown around a lot in recent years in regards to wine. Which is unsurprising, given that the city has been wrapped up in a love affair with these unconventional drops for the better part of a decade.
Natty wines have entered the mainstream of inner-city drinkers, with entire wine lists and bottle shops dedicated to the funky stuff. Though to many, this is still a whole new world that can seem cliquey and leave you wondering if it’s worth the hype. To the uninitiated, natural wines (if that name is even useful anymore) can be a little intimidating, so we’ve written a quick beginners' guide to what it’s all about.
‘Natural wine’ doesn’t really mean anything on its own. There’s no universal definition of what it takes for a wine to be natural, though there are certain characteristics and typical traits that will help give you an idea. Natty wines, as a rule, have nothing added and nothing taken away. That is to say, grapes are grown without chemical pesticides, the juice is then pressed and waits in its tank for yeast in the atmosphere to inoculate said juice and fermentation to spontaneously occur. Once the winemaker deems the juice to have transformed into wine, they will bottle it without filtering or fining it, nor will they add preservatives or sulphites. You following?
Sulphites are a preservative that are added in large quantities to commercially made wine to make it more stable, meaning it can travel safely around the globe in unpredictable temperatures and remain largely unaffected. It also means that the wines don't tend to suffer from 'bottle shock', or the settling period between a wine leaving the vat or tank and entering its bottle. Sulphites can also be a massive trigger for people who have asthma and are anecdotally the cause of the intense hangovers you may experience after a night of drinking. These are part of the 'nothing added' ethos of natural wine making.
Getting an organic certification in Australia can prove an absolute pain in the gut for grape growers and winemakers. If a viticulturist (the fancy name for a grape grower) has a neighbour who sprays their crops with pesticides, the powers that be can deny certification to the hippie who wouldn’t harm a fly on his vineyard. Likewise, if the property used to spray chemical pesticides, it can take years for that vineyard to become eligible for an organic certification. Practice aside, it’s also very expensive to obtain and then keep an organic certification which can add up to thousands of dollars a year. Many natural winemakers simply don’t bother with the label and let the wine speak for itself.
This is a term that on the surface sounds a little bit fancy and a little bit technical, but really it just does what it says on the box. Minimal intervention is essentially “hands off” winemaking and is often used interchangeably with ‘natural’ winemaking. Wines that are made using minimal intervention practices are often a little bit cloudy and can have a great deal of body and texture. This usually comes from being left on ‘lees’ (the dead yeast that mainly settles to the bottom of a wine tank and can sometimes be seen as the brown silt in a bottle of natty wine that’s been sitting a while) which adds a slightly bready aroma. These wines are often bottled using gravity rather than pumps which can damage the wine if it hasn’t had any preservatives added.
Ok this is where things can get a little bit fruity. Biodynamic winemakers view the vineyard as one organic unit and forbid the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, which all sounds fairly normal so far. Biodynamics also abides by certain cosmic events, such as harvesting on the full moon and approaching the vineyard or farm differently on different days, depending on whether it is a root day, flower day, fruit day or leaf day. Each of these days has certain tasks associated with it that are reflective of Earth’s four classical elements (according to their practice). Fruit days are meant for harvesting, leaf days for watering, root days for pruning. On flower days, the vineyard is left alone. Oh and there’s usually a cow’s horn packed with manure buried in the corners of the vineyard, the contents of which are scattered throughout the vines after a winter underground. This may all sound a little “far out, man” but while further studies are needed, there is evidence that biodynamic farms have healthier and more plentiful crops and have a positive impact on the environment.
Orange wine was the wine d’jour of natural wine drinkers a few years ago and for good reason. It’s delicious. But what is it? Well, first off, let’s talk about what it’s not. Seeing as Orange in regional NSW is a registered geographical indication (GI) much like Champagne in France, we’re not supposed to call orange coloured wines ‘Orange,’ unless the orange wine comes from Orange, make sense? As such, you’ll often see them on wine lists as amber wines or skin contact wines. Orange wines are created through oxidation from white grape skins that are left in with the pressed juice over a matter of days, weeks or even months. Imagine how when you leave grapes on the bench in summer and they go a little bit brown, it's basically that. This technique provides the wine with more body and tannin and, of course, colour.
Carbonic maceration is a method of fermentation to kick start the winemaking process. Most wine is fermented via the introduction of yeast which eat the sugars and produce alcohol and cO2. Carbonic maceration is a slightly gentler way of treating grapes in order to create alcohol – basically whole bunches of intact grapes are tented in a sealed environment where pure carbon dioxide is introduced. This oxygen-free environment causes the grapes to ferment while they're still inside their skins by using the available CO2 to break down sugars and malic acid (one of the main acids in grapes), which produces alcohol along with a range of compounds that affect the wine’s final flavour. After about two days in this carbon dioxide-rich environment, the grapes explode and their juice is released. This tends to affect the texture of the wine and they will often have a very slight effervescence which releases as the open wine bottle breathes.
Speaking of fizzy bubbles, this leads us to pét nats or 'pétillant naturel'. Pét nats reflect the oldest way of making sparkling wines, so they're kind of the grand-daddy of Champagnes. This winemaking technique involves bottling wine that is still fermenting to trap carbon dioxide gas in the bottle, creating a gentle carbonation. These wines can vary wildly between gentle fizz to full on explosions which is part of the fun. Pro-tip: have the glasses ready when you open your pét nat, just in case.
Built to Spill Wines is an online natural wine and interesting booze retailer, all wines picked with love and meant to be enjoyed with good music and good people.
A relative newcomer on the online retail scene, you can rest assured this a no holds barred outlet where you'll find awesome drinks and a lot of fun content along the way.
Wines on this classy CBD bottle-o's website are arranged in categories from 'Under $15' to 'Iconic', which should give you a pretty good idea of the extensive range on offer. There's plenty of beer and spirits available, too, as well as elegant glassware, gourmet snacks and even jigsaw puzzles and scented candles. CBD Cellars even have an online shop, Kent Street Cellars where you can browse online. Get carried away, and don't worry about getting stung on shipping – there's free delivery on all orders of $150 or more.
The Oak Barrel has been in business since 1956, and once you check out the ridiculous collection of gear it's easy to see why. Almost all of it is available over the web, and they offer same-day shipping to the Sydney metro area if you order before 10am, so stock up on your minimal-intervention wines, craft beers, sake and rare whisky, and have it ready to drink by the end of the work day.
Four Manly locals with a deep love of minimal intervention wine are bringing the natural wave north with the opening of Winona Wine. The united forces of arts writer Elli Walsh and muso Cam Walsh, with restaurateurs Luke Miller (Chica Bonita, Sunset Sabi) and Bo Hinzack (Roller’s Bakehouse, Showbox Coffee Brewers) have opened Manly’s only dedicated natural wine shop.
Tucked just a few blocks back from the Manly Beach front, Winona is a unique addition to this coastal neighbourhood in Northern Sydney. And it’s not just about the wine, either. Miller has noted that at times it has been difficult to find all the ingredients for a Negroni from some local bottle shops. That’s why they’re introducing products like a natural vermouths from Partida Creus MUZ and Lucy Margaux, plus Regal Rogue. There are also junmai sakes and organic beers (try a ‘spontaneous fermentation’ from Tasmania’s Two Metre Tall), along with a hefty selection of lesser known wines from producers like the Other Right and Le Cave des Nomades, made with zero or minimal chemicals like sulphide (the nasty stuff that brings the headaches). It's a welcome change of pace for an area that's been quick to jump on craft beer, but less so wines.
The Walshs are longtime natural wine fans, previously serving up a taste of the minimal intervention world with their natural wine showcase project ‘the Funky Bunch’. Since 2016, the couple have moonlighted as wine educators, holding tastings at places like Bo’s Showbox café, getting the good people of Sydney’s Northern Beaches excited about a new-to-them but actually very old style of winemaking. Now they’ve made the jump with their very own shop, a bare-cement, open plan little space with wall to wall steel shelves of natural wine from around the world and a centre table showcasing their favourites.
“There are small producers who are just working in their shed somewhere in Australia and making amazing wines that people just aren’t hearing about… These wines, it’s like a personality in a bottle,” says Elli Walsh, who has also come to know a lot of the personalities behind the bottles she’s now selling.
Since opening a couple of months ago, the quartet have enlightened many of the Beaches’ natural newbies, as well as those locals that have been waiting for their own slice of the organic wine pie to make its way over the bridge. They’re even introducing weekend tasting events with winemakers if you like to learn while you drink.
Organic, biodynamic and preservative-free wines from home and abroad are only the beginning at this long-standing suburban favourite, which houses more than 3,500 different products, including some pretty hard-to-get-your-hands-on stuff. Veno, their online store, is where you'll find it all. Just try to hold back on the wicked stockpile of grower Champagne.
This Zetland wine purveyor has a extensive selection (Aussie drops in particular), helpful staff, wine education classes, wine maker lunches and the occasional free tasting. Expand your vino-know-how, grab a well curated mixed dozen and head on in.
Up until recently you'd have to travel to the CBD or Surry Hills if you wanted to nab a bottle of natty wine, but now Native Drops has dropped into Bondi to offer up locally focused natural wines to the beachside suburb. The first thing that'll hit you before the excellent booze does is the beauty of the space – it's all polished concrete, neat suspended shelves and striking native floral arrangements. Then you'll be struck by how many different and awesome Aussie wines you can get. You won't find any international vinos – they focus solely on showcasing Australian wine makers – so have a chat to one of the friendly staff who will guide you through your options. Perhaps it’s a light Tommy Ruff Poolside syrah (who knew there'd be a shiraz suitable for drinking during the day, optimally by a body of water); or well priced, amber coloured fruity but fragrant Xabregas riesling. If you really want to get the low down on a specific winemaker, book into one of their mid-week tastings, where you'll get to meet the vintner, try their wine, eat lots of cheese and buy discounted bottles. You'll also find craft beers, ciders and ginger ales in the fridge alongside a small range of locally made chocolates, cheeses and other snacky treats.
Sydney's first bricks-and-mortar shop devoted exclusively to natural wine spruiks a scrupulously curated collection of unfined, unfiltered and low or no sulphur juice from all over the world, as well as Aussie craft beers, small-batch spirits, sake, liqueurs and digestifs. You can also score monthly subscriptions or leave the deicision-making to them and order a mystery half-dozen on the website. Order up – you'll save 10 per cent on six or more bottles, and orders over $150 get free shipping.
You'll find a bottleshop attached to every other pub or supermarket in this city and they are fine for a grab-and-go. But when you want something special, and maybe even sustainable, the Drink Hive should be on the top of your list. It's the first bottle shop in Sydney to introduce refillable beer and wine stations. Booze industry pros Mal Higgs and Gregoire Bertaud works directly with local craft brewers and winemakers to offer up artisan wines that you can bring back to refill and you'll also find a range of hand-selected boutique brands on the shelves and in the fridges.
The George is the Waterloo HQ for DRNKS, one of the country's first online natural wine purveyors. Technically the site came before the shop, but the bottom line is there are more than 400 labels to choose from, orders for more than $99 get free shipping and you save 10 per cent if you order six bottles. So, start with a fun, fizzy pet-nat before working your way through some cloudy orange wines and finish on a couple of classy chilled reds.
With eight locations across the city, Camperdown Cellars is one of the most consistent and dependable booze emporiums in town. In-store, all the bases are covered in every category, staff are both knowledgeable and helpful, and everything's well organised and neatly displayed. The website is much the same, with clear imagery and detailed tasting notes. They’ll drop it off on-time, cold and free of charge if you spend more than $150.
One of Sydney's all-time great independent wine shops, Five Way Cellars is where you head when you're after something special and require the assistance of people who know their stuff. The shelves are stocked with quality goods from some of the world's most esteemed producers at every price point. Their website is very easy to navigate and offers incredibly extensive tasting notes, and you'll save 10 per cent if your order 12 bottles or more.
Discover Time Out original video
