Sometimes it’s best to let nature have her way, especially with wine. Catherine Whyte finds a local vineyard following the viticultural trend
British sparkling wine is becoming a summer mainstay. But above the sound of skylarks and the chiming of glasses, you may hear talk – on the grapevine, as it were – of a new viticultural phenomenon: natural wine.
Strictly speaking, it isn’t ‘new’ at all. It’s a case of back to basics: wine made with minimal intervention using traditional, often ancient, methods. Natural wine has none of the added yeasts, enzymes, sulfites or powdered tannins so common in wine these days. Instead, it’s like an extreme sports version of organic wine.
What is new is the resurgence of interest in these methods, often from those already engaged in producing conventional or organic wine, alongside a growing number of adventurous consumers hankering after purer products of ancient provenance. Though relatively niche, this renaissance has been gathering momentum throughout the world for a decade or so and is now beginning to resonate with consumers in the UK – with Surrey in the vanguard.
Just down the A3, Albury Organic Vineyard, near Guildford, has become the first UK vineyard to make a natural wine: a pétillant naturel which it officially launched at RAW, the UK’s inaugural natural wine fair, which took place at the Truman Brewery in London’s Brick Lane in May.
“Pétillant naturel means ‘mildly sparkling’ in French,” explains vineyard owner Nick Wenham, who has named his new brew Monty’s Pet Nat – a nod towards his collaborator, biodynamic wine expert Monty Waldin.
The pair have given nature free rein to do as she pleases with the Chardonnay grapes they harvested last autumn. Nothing was added to control how the wine ferments: Monty’s Pet Nat contains only grape juice, the naturally occurring wild yeasts on the grape skins that kick-start the fermentation and a minimal amount of sulphur dioxide. It is bottled halfway through the process to enable the wine to absorb all the CO2 – and hey presto, you’ve got fizz.
“It’s like nothing you’ve ever tasted,” says Nick. “It’s off-dry and light with a ripe pear, zesty and citrus nose, dry on the palate with notes of fresh lemon. It’s meant to be drunk young while it’s still fresh. And since it’s not too boozy at 9.5%, it’s ideal for a summer’s day.”
Yet critics and consumers are divided. Natural wine, for a variety of reasons, has the Marmite factor: you either love it or loathe it. For as the wine is left alone to get on with its thing without much human intervention, it’s something of a lottery as to what you’ll actually end up with.
That’s the beauty – or the horror – of it.
Which is why mainstream viticulturists add extra yeasts, sugars and tannins to their wines: to gain more control over the end product. As Nick concedes, making natural wine is not only exciting and rewarding, but risky too, as the results are unpredictable. Thus Nick will now return to producing more traditional organic wines – until next year, when he and Monty may go natural again.
There are only about 600 bottles of Monty’s Pet Nat in circulation. They can be bought via the vineyard’s members-only wine club or at Guildford wine merchant Les Caves de Pyrene (circa £20). Alternatively, seek out one of the restaurants and wine bars around the UK that also stock Albury’s other organic wines:
- Toasted - East Dulwich
- Ducksoup - Soho
- Boundary - Shoreditch
- Lutyens - Fleet Street
- Plateau - Brighton
- Henri's of Edinburgh
But be warned: you can’t expect natural wine to taste exactly like the Pinot Grigio you’d get down the pub. You’ll need an open mind, but the rewards are there for the taking.
Find out more on the Albury Vineyard website
Watch the series of short, light-hearted videos charting Nick and Monty’s journey into the natural wine world on Vimeo or by liking Monty’s Pet Nat Facebook page
