Archive for the ‘Natural Wine’ Category

Dec 30, 2014

Top 5 Predictions for Wine in 2015

I am notoriously average when it comes to making successful predictions. All that means is that I have to keep trying. So, here are my top five predictions fort what’s coming in the world of wine in 2015. Note that there are, as there have been in the past, no predictions concerning the three-tier system or wine blogs. Read into that what you like. 1. Winery Turnover Is Coming Full Force Wine had a damn good year in 2014 and…

Aug 21, 2014

The Rise of “Natural” in Wine Marketing

Back in 2008, a study by Minitel found that “All Natural” was the second most frequently used claim on new American food products. A more recent study found that the term “100 Percent Natural” was consumers most popular claim to read on a food label. Marketers have figured out that “Natural” sells. They’ve also figured it out in the wine industry The above chart was created using ShipCompliant’s LabelVision tool that allows a comprehensive search of federally approved wine labels…

Feb 10, 2014

The Wine Materialist Lays a Natural Turd

I chuckle every time I hear the phrase uttered or written: “As Nature Intended”. On its face, the phrase implies that nature or the natural world displays intent, which further implies that a rock, an apple tree, the wind, iron molecules and, yes, even vineyards possess intelligence. And this is a kind interpretation of the phrase. At base, the phrase implies that “Nature” is a single intelligent actor that is at least willful and at most omnipotent. It’s a pretty…

Sep 11, 2013

Will the Natural Wine Movement Listen to an Authentic Authority?

If anyone within the wine writing establishment has concentrated more on the issue of authenticity in wine, the virtues of terroir, and the benefits of naturalness in wine than the Wine Spectator’s Matt Kramer, then I don’t know who it is. Back in 1992, reading Kramer’s “Making Sense of California Wine”, I first encountered his earnest search for real naturalness in wine when, writing in the preface he declared: “For the first time, it is possible, however tentatively, to start…

Aug 2, 2013

Wild Yeast Fermentation: “There’s No Such Thing”

Some fairly stunning information concerning the idea of “Wild” or “Indigenous” yeast is coming to light that has implications for wine marketing and wine making. How shall I put this? Let’s try this: If you think your wine went through fermentation driven by wild yeast or if you think the wine you are drinking was produced via a wild yeast fermentation, it probably wasn’t. This is the startling conclusion brought to light in a study undertaken in British Columbia and…