We have recently introduced our first natural wines: 1564 Natural White and 1564 Natural Red, which in addition to being natural, are organic, vegan and without added sulphites. In the different presentation tastings we have seen how many people confuse both concepts and are not clear what each of them means 100%. So we have proposed to clarify doubts in this post. Here we go!
And we started being very clear.
No, a natural wine is not the same as an organic wine, although if we want to obtain good results, in both cases, it is essential to work on biologically very active soils, which give rise to healthy vineyards with sufficient natural defenses to combat most of pests that we can find throughout the vegetative cycle.
Sierra Norte delves into both.
What is a natural wine?
A natural wine is a wine with little intervention. We explain what this means. To make a wine there are two very important phases of work. The first phase is work in the vineyard, and the second phase is work in the winery. In the production of a natural wine there is very little intervention by technicians and winemakers. In the field there is less tillage and fewer treatments for the grapes, and in the winery the technology used is minimal. It works just as wine did decades ago. This means that if you drink a natural wine you will drink a wine very similar to the one your grandparents drank :)
What is an organic wine?
An organic wine is one that has been made with grapes from vineyards that work under the regulations that establish organic farming, which is very demanding and has several legislative levels: autonomous, national and European. These regulations limit the use of chemical products to the extreme. Only a few are allowed in case of extreme need, and, in addition, they are of very low intensity. So in organic farming the important job is prevention, since any disease cannot be treated with chemicals. This obliges them to be in a constant state of alert, monitoring the field practically daily to tackle any disease or pest before it becomes a problem. And if that happens, natural products are used to treat them, such as sulfur or copper. Occasionally we resorted to biotechnical control of some pests by means of pheromones of sexual confusion, thus reducing the reproductive capacity of these insects.
Can a natural wine be organic?
A natural wine may or may not be organic. That it is usually the usual, but it does not happen that way in all cases. To find out if a wine is organic, you should look for the badge of the leaf formed with stars on a green background.
Does an organic wine have added sulphites? And a natural wine
They may or may not carry. Of course, an organic wine usually contains fewer sulphites than if it were a conventional (non-organic) wine. This is so because organic wine regulations require wineries that these wines have 50 mg less of sulphurous, which is the preservative that is added to generate sulphites.
In our case, 1564 Natural White and 1564 Natural Red are natural, organic, vegan and sulfite-free wines, because we like challenges ;)
If you have never tried a natural wine and you want to discover new options, we recommend that you give naturals a chance. Do it, yes, with an open mind. They are special wines in their production, as we have told you, and also in their flavor, much more natural, much closer to the fruit with which they are made. If you know more about our natural wines 1564 Natural White and 1564 Natural Red, here we tell you some details about them.