In honor of Throwback Thursday, we’ve decided to take a closer look at one of the wine industry’s most controversial topics – natural winemaking. Wines that are deemed natural use minimal chemicals and technologies when growing the grapes and making them into wine. You have probably seen wines labeled as sulfite-free or natural at your local wine store. But what does this actually mean? Is this possible? Does this mean other wines are unsafe?
While exploring this topic, we came across a recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Gil Kulers. According to the article, the answer is no. Sulfur has been a part of winemaking history, dating back to Roman winemakers. It is actually a byproduct of the fermentation process – making a sulfite-free wine impossible. Winemakers can limit the amount, but it results in a lack of control over the flavor, acidity and other important elements of wine.
What do you think about the natural wine movement?