The Wine Paradigm Shift

Hello…

My name is Daniel… I have an immense passion for wine, in particular, natural, organic, and bio-dynamic wine’s. It’s a passion that has intensified slowly over my 28 short years, and ignited during my two years in London when I worked in west London’s best wine bar… Albertine W12 7DP.

I’ve decided to make it my mission to get natural, organic and bio-dynamic wines into the Australian consciousness. Just like most products available nowadays with some form of morally conscientious, and sustainable intent, wine is beginning to follow suit, or rather, return to it’s roots in some of the ways in which it is being made and presented. Wines stemming from a more nature friendly environment have long been around, especially in Europe, but it is really only now that Australian and New Zealand winemakers are beginning to realise the benefits of creating an environmentally sustainable process of winemaking…

Just as any fad becomes a fashion, a fashion becomes a trend, a trend become a change, so then, when enough changes unite, change becomes a paradigm shift.

Bernard Salt, the Australian demographer and author of ‘The Big Tilt’, explains how we once lived as ‘in the moment consumers’ wanting things either right now, or as quickly as possible, whereas, nowadays we are ‘seeking redemption for our wrongs’ and making more moral, ethical and environmental choices as a motivation for our consumption. Enter, organic, bio-dynamic wines, and natural wines…

Natural wine is a relatively new concept among Australian wine makers and, more or less, a completely unknown concept among Australian wine drinkers. It is, in fact, an ancient phenomenon, and it is slowly, but surely, gathering pace again thanks to fellow idealists and enthusiasts spread throughout the hidden terroir of the natural wine world. A world that doesn’t seem to include influential US wine critic Robert M. Parker, who think’s, “one of the major scams being foisted on wine consumers is the so-called natural wine movement. It is not subjected to any government regulations or any definition beyond that of the individual who has spawned the term” (Issue 191 of his Wine Advocate) – and while this is somewhat true, regarding the natural wine movement’s lack of regulations and absence of a strict definition, to call it a ‘scam’ merely highlights the fact that we are in the middle of a paradigm shift when it comes to what we choose to consume upon our plates, and in our glasses, and perhaps Parker is simply an old dog not interested in learning any new (or, as is the case with natural wine, very ancient) tricks.

There is, of course, a little bit more to wine than simply fermented grape juice. There are numerous chemicals and additives that can be added to wine in order to achieve a desired result, as well as effecting aroma, texture, flavours and so on – for example: sulphur dioxide, nuts, milk, eggs, and fish (sometimes used in the fining process), but also headache inducing things like hydrocholride, ammonium phosphates, carboxymethlcellulose…  and this is where natural wine has an advantage; because it can be best defined as wine that is made from organic grapes with the least amount of manipulation and interference as possible.

Makers of natural wine will argue that the closer a wine gets to the basic fermented grape juice ‘ideal’, the more delicious it is to drink and the more transparent or honest it is as a reflection of the terroir in which it is grown. I will argue that the closer a story gets to the heart, passion and the why of the wine makers and drinkers of natural wine, the more compelling and interesting it is to read, and the more honest it is a reflection of the narrative and idea of the natural wine movement…

In later posts, I will attempt to explain further about organic, bio-dynamic and natural wines, the differences between the three, and how they compare to the more usual practices of winemaking. Expect to read interviews with up and coming sustainable wine makers from Australia and New Zealand – plenty of pictures of my journey into the sustainable wine world – tips on where to buy, and how to keep these wines – and of course, plenty of tasting reviews… all in the name of science, of course!

…welcome to The Wine Idealist.