Natural Wine vs. Conventional Wine
A deep dive: what’s really in our wine?
A deep dive: what’s really in our wine?
Natural wine is the traditional way to make wine: the process has been documented as early as the eighth century BC. It’s not a new trend, as it may be perceived in pop culture and beyond.
Conventional wine is what’s actually new.
In its purest form, natural wine is made from unadulterated fermented grape juice and nothing else. It can go by many names like: “low-intervention,” “naked,” “raw,” “biodynamic,” or “organic” wine.
It’s difficult to nail down one term to define all natural wines, since there is no legal standard, and most of these wines are different in terms of what makes them natural. This is comparable to the term “sustainability,” where each business or initiative labeling themselves as “sustainable,” “eco friendly,” or “green,” generally has a different definition of what that entails.
Traditionally, natural wine is made from grapes that are not sprayed with pesticides or herbicides and the winemakers handpick grapes, instead of relying on machines for harvesting.
Unlike most conventional winemakers, natural winemakers do not use any additives (like fake oak flavoring, sugar, acid, egg white, gelatin, synthetic coloring, etc.) in the winemaking process.
Occasionally, some natural winemakers will add sulfites, which is a preservative and stabilizer that winemakers have been using longer than any other additive — i.e. back to the eighth century BC. Sulfites ensure that the wine you drink tastes about the same as it did when it went into the bottle.
Natural winemakers will either not add sulfites, or use them in very small quantities, while conventional winemakers use up to 10x as much. Conventional winemakers also use sulfites differently: they add them to grapes to kill off natural yeasts and then add more throughout the rest of the process, whereas natural winemakers will add a little bit prior to bottling. Additives are arguably the biggest issue in conventional wine.
You can essentially assume that anything ranging from a $10 bottle created by a factory and sold at a grocery store to a $100 bottle from a boutique winery has preservatives and additives, unless otherwise noted.
Here’s what generally goes into conventional wine:
Sulfur Dioxide (to preserve)
Gelatin (to remove mouth-puckering tannins)
Velcorin (to kill microbes)
Grape Concentrate, Mega Purple (to pump up flavor and color).
Up to 60 additives to remedy flaws and create different flavors. There is no law that requires these ingredients to be disclosed and most conventional winemakers oppose volunteering this info.
Additionally, alcoholic beverages in the US are not covered by the FDA. This means that winemakers are not required to disclose exactly what is in each bottle; all they have to reveal is the alcohol content and if sulfites and/or food colorings are added.
Bianca Bosker, an author who spent a year undergoing sommelier training, wrote a book about her experience learning about the wine industry and shares with Smithsonian Magazine that the main issue she has with the modern wine industry is that winemakers aren’t usually transparent with all of their ingredients- because they don’t have to be.
"I find it outrageous that most people don't realize that their fancy Cabernet Sauvignon has actually been treated with all kinds of chemicals," she says.
There are many regulations that should be made necessary in this industry: it isn’t transparent of winemakers to fill products with unidentified ingredients and to expect that no questions are asked. By supporting sommeliers who practice organic, additive-free winemaking, we can be sure that we know what we’re drinking.
As far as sustainability in the wine industry goes, there are many different classifications to look out for: each category of certification has differing founding principles (even if there is a lot of overlap).
Organic: Purity of product using non-synthesized ingredients
Biodynamic: Holistic agricultural health
Sustainable: Mitigation and reduction of wastefulness in winemaking
Glossary: identifying the labels
USDA Organic
USDA Organic wines are made with organically grown grapes, all additives (fining agents, yeast, etc) are organic, no GMO’s (or other prohibited ingredients like sulfites) are allowed. In reality, there aren’t many US organic certified wines due to the fact that sulfur is, at the moment, the best available natural preservative for wine. Because of this, you’ll find that most USDA Organic wines have a much shorter shelf life and aren’t meant to age. If you buy USDA Organic wine, store them in your fridge (both reds and whites).
Made with Organic Grapes
The next step away from USDA Organic is significantly closer to the European organic certification. Wines with this label have organic additives (fining agents, yeast, etc.) and are non-GMO. The one caveat to this certification is that wines are permitted to have up to 100 ppm sulfites (parts per million). Because of this, you’ll find “made with organic grapes” to be more popular with progressive, quality wine brands. This particular certification of wine is not qualified for the USDA Organic seal, so you’ll need to seek out the verbiage “made with organic grapes” or “made with organically grown grapes” on the label.
EU Organic
Since the 2012 vintage, the EU has implemented regulations for this selection of wines. The EU organic certification means wines are made with organically grown grapes, all additives are organic, GMOs and other prohibited ingredients are not allowed. Sulfur additions are limited to 100 ppm in red wines and 150 ppm in white and rosé wines.
EMS Environmental Management System (ISO 14001 or ISO 14004)
The International Organization for Standardization has a family of standards (the 14000 group) that provides practical tools for companies and organizations looking to manage environmental responsibility. The goal of this program is to identify and reduce environmental waste as well as plan for continual improvement in waste reduction. Because ISO continually updates and revises sustainability guidelines and compliances, it’s a good international baseline for sustainability. Several wine regions including some in France, Chile and Australia use the ISO standard.
Certified California Sustainable Vineyard and Winery (CCSW)
In 2002, members of the Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) introduced a practical self-assessment workbook for both winemakers and wine growers that encompasses three areas of sustainability: Environmental Soundness, Economical Feasibility and Social Equality. The metrics for CCSW include over a hundred criteria which are ranked from 1–4 in water use, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and nitrogen use. This means a winery can become CCSW certified with a lower rank (with plans to improve). Today, to become fully certified with CCSW, a third party is required to audit the assessments.
SIP Certified (Sustainability in Practice)
SIP certification also adopts the three “E’s” of sustainability–economic viability, environmental stewardship, and social equity with a points system. A winery or vineyard needs 75% of the total possible sustainability points which also include a Prohibited Materials List (various pesticides). Beyond gaining points, vineyards and wineries must also create a sustainability plan which includes documentation, reporting, and examples of how that vineyard/winery is complying to SIP certification. SIP certification is also verified annually through a third party. One strange piece of language in the documentation of SIP is that wines labeled SIP Certified only need to contain 85% SIP Certified wine to be labeled as such.
Certified Green (The Lodi Rules)
The Lodi Rules include six areas of focus: 1) business management, 2) human resource management, 3) ecosystem management, 4) soil management, 5) water management, and 6) pest management. As of 2013, the six areas of focus have 101 criteria which are all scientifically measurable. One of the unique features of Certified Green with Lodi Rules is a pesticide assessment system that rates a vineyard’s pesticide use on everything from farm workers’ health to wildlife risk. Wineries and vineyards must also meet one of the three areas of sustainability laid out in CCSW: Environmental Soundness, Economical Feasibility and Social Equality. Finally, certified vineyards have to pass an annual independent audit to verify the certification.
LIVE Certified (Low Input Viticulture and Enology)
Wineries and vineyards must perform a yearly checklist of practices along with reporting to verify sustainability practices have been met for LIVE. The checklist includes a great number of opportunities to improve sustainability including planning and planting vineyards, fertilizing, required crop biodiversity, irrigation standards, and winemaking standards. LIVE is specifically tuned to the climates of the Northwest including the cool-climate areas in Oregon and the dry and sunny-dry climate areas of Eastern Washington and Idaho.
Salmon Safe
Regions with fragile riparian areas that support salmon populations in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, California and Idaho have the opportunity to become Salmon Safe. This certification focuses on water management with special attention paid to managing run-off into streams and rivers. With a holistic look at run-off, wineries develop long-term soil conservation techniques which may include creating buffers of natural vegetation in between farmlands and streams, and paying close attention to waterways on farm properties.
Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ)
Wineries and vineyards in New Zealand can expect an audit every 3 years for Sustainable Winegrowing NZ. This program focuses on a wide range of factors including crop biodiversity, soil, water and air standards, energy use, chemical use, vineyard and winery waste, social impact, and sustainable business practices. The program also recognizes other environmental-based certification programmes, including ISO 14001, organic, and biodynamic wine production. Wineries and vineyards must have a plan and metrics for each of the 7 areas listed with a goal to continually improve and perhaps adopt organic/biodynamic certification. Joining any SWNZ programmes is voluntary, but in 2012 about 94% of all NZ vineyards were SWNZ certified.
Biodynamic Wine
There is a small subset of sustainability called biodynamics that focuses on maintaining soil health and timing planting actions with lunar cycles. Biodynamic wines must also practice low-interventionist winemaking to insure wines become a reflection of biodynamic vineyard practices. Some of the practices in biodynamics appear strange, such as using bizarre soil preparations made with herbs and bones (so they’re not exactly vegan). And, while biodynamics aren’t necessarily based in hard sciences, followers challenge that the processes produce remarkably consistent results of improved soil quality and overall vineyard health. To date, there are two programs that certify biodynamic wine internationally: Demeter and Biodyvin.
It can be overwhelming to know what to look for, but if you’re seeking out any of these labels, you’ll be in good shape.
From a personal standpoint, I’ve noticed a huge difference in headaches, feelings of grogginess and acne flare-ups after drinking wine since making this switch, and I encourage you to compare how you feel after drinking natural vs. conventional wine. If you’re interested in learning where to buy natural wine and where to go to drink it, you can visit our Natural Wine Directory, which is coming soon.
Disclosure: This content is for individuals aged 21+. The content provided on this website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional or medical advice.