Natural wine is made from organic wines without any additives. It’s exciting and diverse like never before. At last year’s Raw Wine Festival in New York City, I sampled 40 different natural wines from over a dozen producers. It was a great experience. There are many options, from high-end Champagne to highly-rated canned wines to funky orange wines.
Every year, Raw Wine is held in multiple cities all over the globe. It has been a great way to discover new natural wines and is now one of the most popular festivals. Each producer must produce wine using organic or biodynamic grapes and use low-intervention techniques with little to no additives to be eligible for the event. You will receive artisanal products as varied as the people who made them.
2018 Sans Wine Co Sauvignon Blanc
Natural wine doesn’t just come in glass bottles. California-based Sans Wine Co makes a complete line of organic canned wines, including this fruity and fresh Sauvignon Blanc. $11
2018 Los Chuchaquis ‘Methode Ancestrale’ Albarino, Stirm Wine Company
Ryan Stirm, a winemaker, sources Santa Barbara grapes to make this delicious, fruity sparkling Albarino. There are no additional sulfites. $29
2017 Barrow Vineyard Reserve Dry Riesling, Bloomer Creek Vineyard
Bloomer Creek Vineyard is located in the Finger Lakes of New York. It reminds us why this region is so well-known for its Riesling. This is the new Barrow Vineyard Riesling. It has notes of stone fruit and citrus. $30
2018 Kalkundkiesel Blanc, Weingut Claus Preisinger
Claus Preisinger is an Austrian winemaker, based in Burgenland. He prefers to go with his gut instincts and not follow the rules. This is his great line of wines, which includes this vibrant, juicy white made from a combination of Pinot Blanc, Gruner Veltliner and Muscat Ottonel. $35
2018 Tsolikouri Baia’s Wine
Georgian sisters Baia, and Gvanca bring new energy to the very ancient wine region. This Tsolikouri wine is an earthy orange color and made in qvevri clay pots, which are buried underground. $32
2018 The Prince In His Caves, The Scholium Project
Here’s a great example of the unusual and strange. The rich, skin-contact Sauvignon Blanc is all in the texture. This Sauvignon Blanc is jam-packed full of flavor and, thanks to the skins’ healthy supply of tannins, almost tastes like a red wine ($50). The Scholium Project offers a milder offering: The Sylphs is a delicate Chardonnay (77).
2018 To Kokkinaki, Domaine de Kalathas
This project was started by Jerome Charles Binda, a Greek winemaker. He revived very old indigenous vines. This rose, also known as “Little Red,” was made on the Cycladic Island of Tinos using three indigenous grapes: Koumariano and Mavro Potamisi. $50
NV Tete Red, Les Tetes et Domaine des Hauts Baigneux
Philippe Mesnier and Nicolas Grosbois, friends, have been making wine since 2013 in the Touraine region. Domaine des Hauts Baigneux is their estate wine, but they also produce excellent negociant wines under Les Tetes. The blend of Cabernet Franc, Grolleau and Merlot makes this earthy red with red fruits and green pepper notes. It is light, refreshing and simply delicious. $17
2018 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Anfora, Agricola Cirelli
Francesco Cirelli has 22 hectares organically certified land in Abruzzo (Italy), and does everything: geese breeding; olive oil; fig trees; old grains; and vines. He has been exploring Amphora-aged wines for the past five years. The results have been amazing. This red wine is delicious and easy to drink. $31