Natural Wine For the People - By Alice Feiring

A Refreshing Take on Natural Wine

This book caught my eye almost by accident. I was browsing Amazon for a few titles I had long wanted when the algorithm suggested it. Having already read Alice Feiring’s celebrated The Dirty Guide to Wine and enjoyed her approach, I felt compelled to give it a try.

I must confess to having something of an obsession with the “natural wine” subject, and any written account on it makes me pause and reflect. These are usually the most heavily annotated books in my library, and this one was no exception.

There are many observations I disagree with, more due to the way arguments are sometimes framed than to the conclusions themselves. Nevertheless, it never felt as though Feiring had adopted a “religious” stance, and I thank her for that.

In Portugal, the natural wine movement is still slight and, to my eyes, often childish, exaggerated, and dogmatic. I frequently run out of patience with the extreme arguments I am forced to endure. That is why it was so refreshing to read Feiring’s accounts of visits and conversations with leading figures of the movement, which often dismantle entrenched dogmas I so frequently encounter here. Issues like the use of sulphur,  filtration, degorgement of pet nat and vineyard ownership were particularly striking to me.

It was a refreshing read that helped me frame the movement in a more mature and thoughtful light. It was delightful to see producers talk about pleasure and simplicity rather than truth and artificiality. One quote, from Josko Gravner, stood out:

“To make a natural wine, you have first to be a natural person.”

This book comes as a fine recommendation for anyone interested in the subject, proving that natural wines do not have to be faulty or the product of laziness. I wholeheartedly recommend it, especially to those making natural wines.

Thank you, Alice, for such a refreshing read.

Sponsored by: This article was brought to you by the “iconic” Hugo Mendes Curtimenta 2023, a wine that, despite spending nine months macerating and being made with nothing but a touch of sulphur, stubbornly refuses to turn that trendy orange colour so many people expect from “orange wines”. A wine that isn’t chasing labels( much less the “natural wine” one), just aiming to give you pleasure.

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