How to pour
a natural wine in
Place the bottle in the refrigerator for two hours, or in a bucket with water and ice for half an hour. Serve natural wine cooler than you may be used to serving wine: at 10 to 14 degrees, the wine stays fresh and the volatile aromas remain calm. A light white or a pét-nat can be served at the lower end of that range.
Cut around the capsule below the ridge on the neck and wipe the rim clean. If it has a crown cap, as with many pét-nats, use a regular bottle opener and keep your thumb on the cap, as the pressure from the carbonation can make it spring off. Open the bottle upright and slowly.
With natural wine, decanting is a conscious choice. A wine that smells musty or yeasty when opened often improves after ten minutes of air. If you want to keep the sediment in the bottle, pour slowly and leave the last bit at the bottom; if you want to include everything, gently tilt the bottle back and forth a few times first.
Pour until the spacious glass is about one-third full. This leaves room to swirl the wine, and with natural wine, the aroma in the glass often changes within just a few minutes. Slight cloudiness and a little fizz are normal and do not mean that anything is wrong.
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The story
Natural wine is a movement without a rulebook. There is no European definition and no certification protecting the term, so what is in the bottle varies by producer. What most producers share is that the grapes are grown organically or biodynamically, that the must ferments with the yeasts naturally present on the skins and in the cellar, and that as little as possible is adjusted in the cellar. In France, the vin méthode nature label was introduced recently. It is a private designation from an association of producers with its own regulations, and therefore not legislation.
The right glass
Natural wine mainly calls for space. A bowl of 40 cl or more gives the wine room to breathe, which helps with bottles that still smell a little closed or yeasty when opened. There is no such thing as a glass sold as a natural wine glass, not in this range and not as a specific model; the all-rounders among the wine glasses come closest, because they work for white, rosé and light reds alike. If the bottle is not finished in one go, also take a look at the wine stoppers.
Chef & Sommelier Open Up Universal Wine Glass 40 cl (6 pieces)
RCR Optiq Wine Glass 45 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 95,90.
The right tools
For a bottle of natural wine, besides the glass you mainly need a corkscrew and, if the bottle is not finished in one go, a wine stopper. The bar tools below only come into play when the bottle goes into a sangria or a spritz: a bar spoon for stirring and a jigger for measuring. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 79,85.
What do you serve alongside it?
Natural wine rarely stands alone on the table. These are the types and styles that come before, alongside or after it, from a glass of prosecco to start with to a moscato with dessert. On each drinks page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works in and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Natural wine encompasses more than one style. Pét-nat, short for pétillant naturel, is sparkling and finishes fermenting in the bottle, usually under a crown cap. There are also still white, rosé and red wines under the same heading, as well as wine made from white grapes that have spent a long time on their skins. What they have in common is the method, not the color and not the flavor. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Serve at 10 to 14 degrees and put the bottle back in the fridge in between, because natural wine quickly becomes unsettled when warm. Preferably finish the bottle the same day: with little or no added sulfites, there is less protection against oxygen, so an open bottle changes more quickly than you may be used to. Simple food works best alongside it, such as a cheese board, charcuterie, roasted vegetables or quiche.
Good to know
What natural wine means in practice
There is no legal definition. Producers usually mean the following: the grapes are grown organically or biodynamically and are often harvested by hand; the must ferments with wild yeast instead of cultured yeast; little or nothing is added; and the wine is filtered little or not at all. Sulfites are omitted or added only in a small amount just before bottling. Because no one regulates the term, its meaning varies from producer to producer and from bottle to bottle.
The vin méthode nature label
In France, the label vin méthode nature exists. It is a private designation used by an association of producers, with its own rules and inspections, and is therefore not legislation. A bottle without the label may well have been made using the same method, while a bottle with the label only indicates that the producer has committed to following those rules.
Why it can be cloudy and sometimes fizzy
Natural wine is usually unfiltered or only lightly filtered and not clarified. As a result, yeast residue and fine particles remain in the wine, making it look cloudy. A layer of sediment may form at the bottom of the bottle. Sometimes it also has a slight fizz because fermentation has continued a little in the bottle. Both are part of the method and, in themselves, say nothing about the quality.
The other side: it can also go wrong
With little or no sulfites, there is less of a safety net. A bottle may smell volatile, with a vinegar-like or nail-polish-like note, taste mousey, or turn quickly after opening. A trace of residual sugar may also continue fermenting and create an unwanted fizz. Keeping it cool limits that risk. If a bottle smells genuinely unpleasant, it is usually not a matter of getting used to it.
How much alcohol it contains
Natural wine usually contains roughly between 10 and 14 percent alcohol, about the same range as conventional wine in a similar style. Because little is adjusted in the cellar, the percentage varies more from vintage to vintage than you would see from a large producer. It is always stated on the label.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is natural wine?
There is no legal definition. In practice, it means organically or biodynamically grown grapes, fermentation with wild yeast, few or no additions, and little or no added sulfites. The wine is often unfiltered and therefore slightly cloudy. Because the term is not protected, its meaning varies by producer.
Is natural wine the same as organic wine?
No. Organic and biodynamic refer to the vineyard and are regulated, with inspections and certification. Natural wine also concerns what happens in the cellar: wild yeast, few or no additions, and little or no sulfites. Much natural wine is organic, but organic wine is by no means always natural wine.
At what temperature and in what glass should you serve natural wine?
Between 10 and 14 degrees, in a large glass of 40 cl or more. Cooler than you may be used to with red wine, because the volatile aromas remain calmer, and larger than a regular white wine glass, so the wine gets some air. Two hours in the refrigerator brings a bottle to approximately that temperature.
How long does an opened bottle of natural wine keep?
Shorter than an ordinary bottle. With little or no added sulfites, there is less protection against oxygen, so ideally finish it the same day. If that is not possible, seal the bottle with a stopper and put it in the refrigerator. It is often still fine a day later; after that, it changes quickly.
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