Our Natural Wine Guide

1. OuNrauWtarlnieGudie InArticlesbyMarloesFransenandAndrewMecoli/12/11/2018/LeaveaComment Everythnigyouwantedtoknowabout naturawlnies Whastinaturawl nie? Oneofthesimplestdefinitionsofanaturalwineis:nothingadded,nothingtakenaway. Althoughthereisnolegaldefinitionofhowanaturalwineismade,thereareafewprinciplesthatconsistentlyabideto thebasicideathatwineshouldbemadeinthevineyard,notthecellar:noaddedchemicals,noaddedsulfites(orjust thebareminimalamount),notemperaturecontrolduringfermentation,noaddedyeast,nofiningorfiltration,andno pesticidesorherbicidesinthevineyard. Byreducingthewinemaker’sinterventiontoaminimum,whatisleftintheglassshouldbethepurestexpressionofthe grapes and the soil, not a manufactured product built scientifically to appeal to the mainstream palate. This often resultsinwinesthatcanbecloudyandrusticinappearance,andthatmaydisplayveryearthyandfunkyaromasonthe nose. Whilethesetraitsmaybeoff-puttingtosome,itispreciselythisrawanddirectapproachthatisparticularlyappealing tonaturalwineaficionados.Theideathateachbottlemaydifferfromthenext,andthatthebottlesarenotcomingoff anassemblyline,isattractingconsumersthataretiredofthefakenatureofmassproducedproducts.

2. Gettingtoknowaboutthewinemaker’sphilosophy,isafundamentalvaluethatisimpossibletofindinmassproduced products. Fermentaotinwthinaturayleasts Regardingwine,fermentationistheprocessofthemicroorganismyeastconvertingthenaturalsugarsinthesweet grapejuice(called“must”)intoalcohol(andthebyproductcarbondioxide). Thisisusuallyacarefullycontrolledpartofthevinificationprocesswherethewinemakeraddsacalculatedamountofa selectedstrainofyeast(eithernaturalofsynthetic).Thisway,thedurationofthefermentationprocessandtheimpact oftheyeastontheflavorofthewineareinthehandsofthewinemakerratherthannature. Withnaturalwines,itsphilosophydesiresquitetheoppositeandtheobjectiveistoletnaturehavetheupperhandin creatingthewine.Therefore,noselectedandmeasuredoutquantityofyeastisaddedtothemust,butthewinemaker ratherletsthenaturalyeast(thatformsathinmatte-likelayerontheoutsideoftheskinsofthegrapes)takecareofthe fermentation byitself. Thatusuallymeansittakeslongerforfermentationtostart,andittakeslongerforthefermentationprocesstobe completed,sometimesuptoseveralmonthsinsteadofafewweeks!Theyeast,whichinnaturalwinesisnotfiltered outbeforethewineisbeingbottled,alsoaddsanotherflavordimensiontothewine,whichinsomenaturalwinesis morepresentthaninothers. BarnyardvsC.‘ elana’romas Oneofthemaindebatesinthewineworldwhentalkingaboutnaturalwinesisthattheyaretoooftenflawed,andthat leaving the wine develop on its own devices may lead to the exposure of defects that the wine industry has been solvingthroughouttheyearswiththeaidoftechnologicaladvancesandresearch. Whiletheremaysometimesbeatendencyinnaturalwinesupporterstojustifywinesthatareobjectivelyflawed,itis theimperfectionsthatareadmittedlyfundamentaltotheideathatnowinecaneverbeexactlyidenticalfromoneyear

3. tothenext,andinsomecases,fromonebottletothenext.Theimperfectionsgivethewinecharacter.Theinfamous barnyardsmell,forexample,isoneofthemainelementsofdiscussion. Because natural wines are fermented by its own wild yeasts, which are not filtered out of the wine after the fermentationisfinished,thereisoftensomethingcharacteristicallydifferentaboutthearomas(andthereforetaste)of naturalwines,oftendescribedas‘Barnyard’. Thebarnyardsmellisparticularlyreferencingtotheanimal‘products’thatcanbefoundonthefloorofabarnyard,if youknowwhatwemean.ThispersonalitytraitiscreatedbyakindofwildyeastcalledBrettanomyces,orBrett,for short.AndalthoughBrettaffectingthearomasofawineisnotperdefinitionabadthing-infact,itcangiveawinea certainrusticfunkappreciatedbynaturalwinelovers–toomuchbarnyardinawinewillmakeitsmell,err,somewhat unappealing! Istiruethatdrniknignaturawl nies reducesthersikofgentigahangover? Manynaturalwineconsumersaredrawntothelowerimpactthesewineshaveonourorganism,comparedtowines thataretreatedwithchemicaladditivesandundergoindustrialprocesses. Thelow-interventionprocessofnaturalwinemakingoftenleadstowinesthatcontainloweralcohollevels,barelyany sulfites (although every wine will always contain a small quantity of natural sulfites) and that are light and easy to drink. Althoughitisnotscientificallyproven,mostnaturalwineadvocatesarefirmbelieversthatduetothislighterprofile, therisksofgettingahangoverandothernegativesideeffects,aregreatlyreduced. Whiletheremightbesometruthtothistheory,itisstilladvisabletoalwaysdrinkinmoderationifyouwanttomake sureyouwon’thaveabadheadacheinthemorning.

4. NaturaWlniesniItayl ThenaturalwinemovementinItalyisinconstantexpansion,anditisbecomingmorecommonthroughoutthecountry forrestaurantstoincludeanaturalwineselectiontotheirwinelists. MajorcitieslikeRomeandMilanhaveaconsiderableamountofwinebarsandshopswithextensivenaturalwine options,orinsomecasesexclusivelydedicatedtothisworld. During the week of the most important wine fair in Italy, Vinitaly, that is held annually in Verona, two alternative eventsfocusedonnaturalwinestakeplace:ViniVeriinCereaandtheVinnatureventatVillaFavorita.Theseevents areprovingtobesopopularthatmanywineloversbypassthemainfairgroundscompletelyandchooseonlytoattend these. TheVinnaturorganizationisledbyatrailblazeroftheItaliannaturalwineworld,AngiolinoMaule.Heisawinegrower fromtheSoaveareainVeneto,andhasbeenattheforefrontoftheItaliannaturalwinemovementformanyyears. In an effort to establish common ground and regulations within the winemakers of his organization, in 2018 he establishedacharteroutliningthemainprinciplesandregulationsthatallwinemakersmustfollowinordertobepart ofVinnatur. Thestaplesofnaturalwinemakingsuchaslowsulfitelevels,handpickingofthegrapes,andnoaddedchemicals,were allincluded. Naturawlnieswordlwdie Thissortofcharterwasalsocreatedinothercountriesduetothelackofanyofficial,government-recognizedsetof regulations.Amongtheassociationsworldwidethatservethispurposeafewofthemainonesare: LesVinsS.A.I.N.S.(SansAucunIntrantNiSulfite–WithoutAnyAdditivesOrSulfites),France. L’AssociationdesVinsNaturels,France. AsociacióndeProductoresdeVinosNaturales,Spain. RAWWine,USA,UKandGermany Agreatwaytogetfamiliarwiththewinesfromthesedifferentorganizationsistoattendthenumerousnaturalwine eventsthatareorganizedthroughouttheyearinmostmajorcities.Foraveryreasonablefee,itispossibletotaste directlyfromtheproducer’shands,andinthemeantimepersonallylearnabouttheirbackgroundandideals. Whastithedfeirencebetweennatural wniesandorganci,boiolgciaolr boidynamciwnies? Biologicalandorganicwinesarecertifiedlabelsandthewinemakerhastocomplywiththerulesandregulationssetby

5. theorganizationthatcertifiesthewines.Itisakindofmembershipthatthewinemakersubscribestoandpaysafeefor.theorganizationthatcertifiesthewines.Itisakindofmembershipthatthewinemakersubscribestoandpaysafeefor. The standards for producing a biological wine are slightly milder than for organic wines, with the latter strictly forbiddingtheuseofanysyntheticfertilizers,herbicidesandpesticidesinthevineyardortheadditionofsulfitestothe wines(withtheexceptionofEuropeandCanada,wherethelevelofsulfitescannotexceed100partspermillion(ppm) forredwinesand150ppmforwhitewines). Biodynamic wines are also certified, but they take it even further than organic wines, not just setting rules that are sciencerelated,butalsoadoptingregulationsrelatedtoacertainwinemakingphilosophyestablishedbytheAustrian academicandphilosopherRudolphSteinerinthelate20swhichconnectstheyearlyagriculturalcycleofavineyardto thelunarcycleandthepositionofthesunandtheplanetsinaspiritualway. Thesuperiorqualityofabiodynamicwinecomparedtoanorganicwinecannotbeprovenscientifically,butrather spirituallythewaythephilosophyofreligioncanhaveapositiveeffectonpeople. Natural wines mostly live outside all of the established borders of organic, biological and biodynamic winemaking. Naturalwinemakersoftenalsochoosetopurposelynotabidebytherulesoftheirofficialregionalandgovernment- certifieddenominations,inordertoproducewinesthatdonotfollowthecommontraitsthatareofficiallyrecognized astypicaloftheseareas. Whileofficialarearecognitionisstillanimportantfactorthatcanaddvalueandprestigetoawine,theseproducers choosetoprioritizewhattheyconsidermoretrueandhonesttothegrapeandsoil.Growinginterestinthenatural winemovementisprovingthatthereisalargeamountofwineconsumersthatseemtoagreewiththisidea.

6. Ourecommendaotins Italianwinemakerstraditionallyworkasclosetonatureaspossibleandbelievethattherepresentationofthelocal terroirandcharacterofthegrapeitselfshouldbethemostimportantaspectsofawine,nothumaninterference. Thecraftandartofwinemakinghasusuallybeenpassedonfromgenerationtogeneration,datingbacktoatimewhere moderntechnologywasnotyetavailable.Andalthoughsomemodernequipmenthasbeenintroducedinthewineries nowadays, these traditional producers never took such a scientific approach to winemaking as many new world wineriesdo.Thatbeingsaid,naturalwinemakingisacompletelydifferentphilosophy,andonethathasrecentlygained muchpopularityintheworld,includingItaly. HereareafewpicksfromourpersonallistoffavoriteItaliannaturalwineproducers.Pleasenotethatweareonly highlightingafewoftheinnumerablegreatwineriesthatarecurrentlyavailableonthemarket. FrankCornesislen Therose’wineSusucaru,fromproducerFrankCornelissen,hasbeengainingpopularityinthewineworldduetothe supportandenthusiasmofUSrapper/TVgourmetpersonality,ActionBronson. Admittedly,thisisaratherrefreshingtwistontheusualbig-money,big-champagneimageryusuallyassociatedwith thehiphopworld.Inthiscase,therapperisdefinitelyontosomethingspecial. Cornelissen,aBelgianlivingonMountEtnainSicily,wasinspiredtostartmakingwinebyatriptoGeorgia,wherehe tastedtheamphora-aged,traditionalorangewinesofthearea.Withnoexperienceinwinemaking,heboughtlandin Sicily,ontheEtnavolcano,startedmakingwine,andrapidlybecameoneofthemostrespected(andcontroversial) producersinthewineworld. Afirmadvocateofno-interventionwinemakingproceduresandlettingnaturerunitscourse,hiswinesinitiallytended tobeveryunstableandinconsistentfrombottletobottle,butafteryearsofexperienceandfine-tuning,hiswinesnow havereachedabeautifulbalancebetweenthemorewildandrusticelements,andasharp,focusedelegance. TherefreshingandeasytodrinkSusucaruandContadinowines,togetherwithhisnumeroussinglevineyardbottlings, such as his Munjebel line and the rich and powerful Magma, are currently some of the most sought after bottles by wine loversworldwide. EmdioiPepe Abruzzohadalwaysbeenknownasaregionwherewinewasproducedbasedonquantity,notquality.Forthisreason, whenestateownerEmidioPepedecidedin1964tostopsellinggrapesdestinedformassproduced,low-qualitywine, and started making low-yield wines following groundbreaking strict biodynamic procedures, most of his fellow wine producersandvineyardownersthoughtthathehadlosthismind. Pepe’sgamblepaidoffwell,andheisnowoneofthemostlegendaryandrespectedproducersofthenaturalwine world.ThelongevityofhisMontepulcianoredwines,andhisTrebbianowhites,havebeenimpressingeventhemost jadedwineloversthroughouttheyears.

7. Hiswinesarefunkyandcomplex,andsometimestheytendtogiveintotheirmoreearthyandwildside.Thismakes them in some cases somewhat difficult to fully appreciate, especially to wine drinkers with little experience with naturalwines. ButifyouareluckyenoughtoopenanagedPepeMontepulcianofromagoodvintage,oroneofhislean,crispand acidicPecorinoorTrebbianowhitewines,therewardswillbegreat! PaolBea ThePaoloBeawineryislocatedrightontheoutskirtsofthesmalltownofMontefalco,Umbria,famousforitshighly structuredandtannicSagrantinowine.TheestatehasbeenintheBeafamilysincethe1500s,andisnowadaysatthe forefrontofthenaturalwinemovement. Montefalcowinesareknownfortheirdarkfruitandpowerfulprofile,usuallyhighlightingstrengthoverelegance.Bea hassomehowmanagedtotamethewildandrusticSagrantinogrape,knowntobeofthemosttannicgrapevarietiesin theworld,intoamorerefinedandsubtleversion. Oneofhistopbottlings,thePagliaro,isatrulyremarkableinterpretationofaSagrantinowine.Iflefttoageforatleast fiveyears,itbeginstolosesomeofitsimpenetrable,thoughcharacteristicssocommonlyfoundinaMontefalcowine, anddisplaysamoreherbalandfloralprofile. Sagrantino was traditionally vinified as a sweet red wine, and that tradition continues today in the form of the SagrantinoPassito.Ifyougetthechance,don’tpassuptheopportunityoftastingPaoloBea’sdeeplyconcentratedbut notoverlysweetversion. Ohtenroatbelnautrawlnieafvoetrisrof,mnohrtot souht: CascinadegliUlivi,Piemonte Bressan, Friuli-VeneziaGiulia La Biancara,Veneto Podere Pradarolo,Emilia-Romagna I Botri di Ghiaccioforte, Toscana Ca’ Sciampagne,Marche Le Coste,Lazio CantinaGiardino,Campania ‘A Vita,Calabria NatalinoDelPrete,Puglia

8. VinodiAnna,Sicilia OurnaturalwineguideislovinglywrittenbyAndrewMecoli&MarloesFransen Leave aComment Your Comment* Your Name* Your Email* YourWebsite Submit Rimessa Roscioli Via del Conservatorio 58 - Rome Everyday 5:30-11:30 Saturday/Sunday 12:00 - 3:30pm  Telephone: +39 0668803914  WhatsApp: +39 3281751235 (Messages only, please.)  Email:winetastingroscioli@gmail.com Dine

9. Salumeria Roscioli Restaurant Antico Forno Roscioli Rimessa RoscioliRestaurant Taste Rimessa Roscioli Wine Tastings Rimessa Wine Tasting Dinner Taste the Legends WineTasting Learn Cooking Classes Light Lunch Tasting/Cooking Demo Our Food & WineBlog Copyright © 2019 La Rimessa | All Rights Reserved Privacy Policy - Website Terms - Wine Club Terms - FAQ -Contact P.IVA09947871001 Website Development & Design byPXLPOD.