France and wine are inseparable. The country has a huge number of well-known wine regions, such as Alsace, Burgundy, Champagne and Bordeaux. In addition to the conventional wines that come from these, and other, French regions, France is also the birthplace of the natural way of making wine. In the 1970s, under the leadership of the "gang without sulfur," a counter-movement emerged in the Beaujolais. As a reaction to the conventional way of making wine, this group led by Marcel Lapierre introduced natural wines. The rest is now history!
What exactly is French natural wine?
French natural wine is, of course, nothing more and nothing less than a natural wine from France. This is a wine produced as naturally as possible. This means that the cultivation of the grapes must have been organic or biodynamic. The grapes were then hand-picked and no additives may be used during the rest of the process. This means that only naturally occurring yeasts are allowed in the natural wine, but also that the taste is not modified with chemical additives. The only exception is the addition of sulfite. This preservative may be added to natural wines in very small amounts. But there are also many natural wines available to which no sulfite has been added at all. In addition, natural wines are often not filtered or filtered very little.
In which regions is French natural wine made?
Natural wine is becoming increasingly popular. Consequently, vin naturel is being made in more and more places. Generally, this is done on small vineyards. In many well-known French wine regions, you can therefore find winemakers who make wine in this natural way. Even in traditional wine regions, such as Bourdeaux and Bourgogne, more and more farmers are starting to make wine organically or biodynamically. But natural wine can also be found in these regions. Loire, Rhône, Jura and Savoie, among others, also produce fine natural wines. But also in other French regions, such as Auvergne, Languedoc, Corsica and Beaujolais, the production of natural wine is becoming increasingly popular. Even more than with conventional wine, the character of the grapes and the terroir have a great influence on the taste of the wine. Since grapes from each French region have their own character, natural wine from each region also tastes truly different.
Buy the best French natural wine
At Aardig Wijntje, we have a number of fine French natural wines for you to choose from. These wines come from different regions, allowing you to choose your own favorite. Because of the making process, the taste of natural wine is highly dependent on the quality and type of grapes used. This is precisely what makes drinking natural wine an exciting voyage of discovery. In our assortment you will find only the best French natural wines. Whichever one you choose, you will always get a beautiful bottle of wine with a distinct taste.
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