There are sparkling wines and still wines. There are red, white and rose wines. There are wines made from North American native grapes, wines made from hybrid grapes and wines made from fruit other than grapes. And there are wines that are made in a style that addresses current-day trends and the subsequent market demand. What follows is by no means a comprehensive description of these wine styles. But if you are interested, you may want to try …
A NATURAL WINE. A wine that is hard to define. In a wide sense it is wine that is made with low levels of intervention in both the vineyard and cellar. The wine ferments naturally using native yeast with a minimal amount of sulfites for preservation (other than the natural sulfites that are in all wine). The winemaker avoids the use of pesticides and herbicides in the vineyard and chemical alteration in the cellar. The low-intervention winemaking method can also mean the skipping of fining and filtration, resulting in a hazy wine. And because there is no verification method for “low level intervention,” an exact definition of natural wine also is hazy. Inevitably the lack of a concrete definition of natural wine can account for the large number of natural wines on the market.
An ORGANIC WINE. A wine that is made from grapes grown in certified organic vineyards and made in certified organic wineries. Organic wines may not be natural wines even though all natural wines are organic. Strict organic wine regulations govern from grape to bottle. The vineyards do not use synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. The wine must be made with limited or minimal sulfites and is not supplemented with added sugar but fining the wine may be allowed. The regulations require that all ingredients used in the winemaking be certified organic. Organic certifiers are accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and organic certification requires an annual renewal.
A BIODYNAMIC WINE. A wine using biodynamic farming practices that are universally applied around the globe. In the 1920s, Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner developed an all-inclusive farming method based on the connection between humans, animals, plants and the environment. However, all biodynamic wine is neither organic nor natural even though the winemaker uses natural or organically developed products in the winemaking. The winemaker does focus his vineyard management on creating a balance between nature’s processes and the vineyard’s grapes. Winemakers practicing biodynamics often take celestial elements into consideration when harvesting and subsequent winemaking. It is felt that biodynamic farming provides an expression of terroir that is not found elsewhere. Demeter, a global federation of farmers, winemakers, gardeners, researchers and more, provides the certification for biodynamic wines and a Demeter logo can be found on the bottle.
A VEGAN WINE. A wine like all wine, made from yeast fermenting grape juice. Therefore, all wines could be assumed to be vegan wines. However, that is not the case. A vegan winemaker has not used animal products for fining, filtering or stabilizing their wine. A non-vegan winery could use animal products such as egg whites, a milk protein (casein) or isinglass, a fish collagen, to remove the smallest sediment particles that have not been removed by filtration. Vegan winemakers, by not using animal products for fining can let the sediment particles fall naturally to the bottom of a tank or barrel, or they can use a form of clay called bentonite or pea protein to produce a clear wine. As an additional caution, animal products can also be used in the manufacture of agglomerated corks (milk-based glues) or the sealing of bottles with beeswax. Since there are no requirements to list fining agents on labels, finding vegan wine requires asking your retailer or the winemaker.
A NO/LO WINE. A wine that has no or low alcohol. It is also called alcohol-free wine, non-alcoholic wine and dealcoholized wine, while partially dealcoholized wine is called low-alcohol wine. What a no/lo wine is, is not only as different as its several names, but also as different as the many countries’ respective regulations and cultural norms where the wine is either made or consumed. Alcohol-free wine and non-alcoholic wine (terms often interchangeable) in many European countries and the U.S. is not necessarily alcohol free, it just has to have less than 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). However, in Great Britain the requirement is for no more than 0.05% ABV. In Canada the limit is 1.1% ABV; in Japan it is up to 1% ABV, while in Islamic counties non-alcoholic wine and alcohol-free wine must be 0.0% ABV. The partially dealcoholized, low-alcohol wine in the E.U. can have an ABV that ranges from 5-6%, while a January 2025 Italian regulation set the limits at greater that 0.5% but less than 8.5-9%. Labeling should be the key to determining your desired selection.
These are all interesting wines to drink and learn about. So, no matter what kind of wine it is, how or why it is was made, just find a bottle, open it and enjoy. Cheers!
—CL Keedy, Wine Education Committee, clkeedy@OCWS.org