Almost all winemakers will use some, if not all, of the tenets of natural wine making, in the vineyard. These include growing organic and/or biodynamic grapes with no pesticides…using naturally occurring native yeast, as opposed to man-made yeast… adding little or no extra sulfites (the bane of some folks’ nightmare headaches with red wine)…basically, it means using as little manipulation as possible.

No added sugars, no fining or filtering, “let the wine do its thing”… this is the way winemaking began.

To be called “natural wine,” most, if not all of the above guidelines should be used in the winemaking process. This all sounds great, and if all wine could be made this way, it would be a beautiful thing.

Sadly, the rules around organic farming and the inability to use even minimal amounts of certain pesticides or anti-fungal products can be limiting. And if your neighbor is not also trying their hand at organic farming, there’s a good chance you won’t get the certification.

In Europe, trying to get organic certification, particularly for smaller properties, is financially restrictive. The number of years, the costs involved and some of the limitations that must be adhered to, particularly in the case of bad weather years, can be hard on small properties that can’t afford to just write off a vintage. The addition of a small amount of an antifungal spray might save a vintage, but they would lose their shot at the organic certification.

In my travels throughout Italy, I’ve asked a number of winemakers if they are certified organic, and their answers have been pretty consistent: they won’t pay extra for something they’ve already been doing for hundreds of years. It’s just how they make wine.

So, what we have here is a philosophical approach in winemaking, and from what I’ve seen, more and more wineries are doing everything they can to work in as many aspects of natural winemaking as they can. The world is changing, and many folks are looking not only at wine, but at all aspects of what they eat and drink, and they want to see what goes into these products before purchasing.

Now on to natural wine and what to expect.

With true natural wines, those that are unfined and unfiltered, you may find your wine a bit cloudy, and at times you may find a bit of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Not to worry…all is well. Wine is a living, breathing product, and some winemakers believe that fining and filtering takes away some of the true character of the wine.

There is a bit of unpredictability to true natural wines, however. They can offer everything from clean, lovely fruit, to a bit of funk, to an earthy edge…some might even offer a bit of a sour edge. Sour beer drinkers will be happy to hear this.

Next time you’re looking to purchase a true natural wine, ask your retailer or restaurateur what they would recommend. Ask questions. It can be a bit of an adventure, but a fun one, and for those folks who do have issues with sulfites in red wines…this may be your answer.

Mike Stolese is the owner of Vermont Wine Merchants, a wholesale distribution company based in Burlington.