Natural wines for people who think they hate them

Have you ever heard the sentence from someone you know, “I don’t like natural wine”? I do, and I suppose some of you, too. They usually share their complaints: stability issues, mousiness, farm smell, “deviations” from expectation, or unfamiliar labels; everything is open to criticism.

The reasons behind that rejection are complex and varied, but some patterns recur.

• Education gap: If every bottle someone learned to enjoy came through classical wine education, switching to natural wine can feel like a major leap.
• Brand snobbery: Some Drinkers who value famous houses, Krug or Pétrus, for example, often struggle to accept small producers as valid alternatives.
• Bad first impressions: People who try a poorly explained (the famous “it’s a natural wine, you know”) or poorly kept natural wine in a bar or restaurant can be put off for good. A fizzy or “moussy” bottle without context will often end a curiosity rather than start a new one.

its not an insult to say that some natural wines need a bit of introduction. It’s challenging to appreciate a Georgian orange wine or an oxidative Jura without some palate preparation. I remember my first natural wine, many years ago, I found it so bad at first, but a decanter and some patient explanation it’s was a discovery.

The barrier between natural and conventional drinkers isn’t as high as it looks. When I visited family in Bordeaux, we were drinking together, and the conversation turned to a cousin who makes biodynamic wine. Some relatives admitted they were nervous about opening a bottle in front of me because it was “natural.” That surprised me; it suggested that fear was more at play than taste (and I need a deeper discussion with my brother-in-law).

How do you bring people onto the same page? Start by choosing approachable examples that demonstrate continuity with familiar styles rather than radical differences.

The natural wine world can produce wine that some will see as curious; some bottles are totally failed, and some wines need some education, difficult for a novice to appreciate an oxidative wine or a northern Italian orange wine.

But many natural wines don’t require that background, so there are plenty of ways to reach drinkers who are hermetic to these complexe natural wines.

Many wine drinkers, conventional or natural, express their taste using wine regions; this is the guide I will use to select bottles that will convince the most sceptic anti-natural wine drinker.

Bordeaux is a useful place to start. Natural options are fewer here than in the Loire or Beaujolais, but they exist, and they speak true to regional character. Emilien from Château le Puy is, to my mind, a superb natural Bordeaux — expressive of the region even when it’s labelled Vin de France. Other approachable Bordeaux producers include Château Meylet in Saint-Émilion, Vignoble Pueyo in the Bordeaux appellation, and Domaine les Carmels (try l’Abondance or Les Vendanges).

If your guests prefer Italian wines, try a Chianti Classico from Montesecondo: complex but familiar, with authentic Sangiovese character.

Beaujolais is probably the most forgiving region for skeptics. It’s the birthplace of much of the modern natural-wine movement, and many bottles retain the fruit-driven, transparent style that conventional drinkers already enjoy. Try Marcel Lapierre (Morgon Côte du Py or cuvée ML), Georges Descombes (Brouilly Vieilles Vignes), or wines from Yvon Métras in Fleurie. In many blind tests, conventional drinkers find good natural Beaujolais to be an elevated version of what they already like.

Red wine is not the only type you can offer to a conventional wine drinker; many natural white wines have the potential to please conventional drinker palates.

Non-oxidative whites from Jura are balanced, fresh, and fruit-forward; they often win over conventional palates. Examples I’ve had success with include Nuit Blanche from Domaine de la Tournelle, Léon from Les Bottes Rouges (citrusy), and Cuvée Charmille from Domaine Orvenoy (mineral and floral). Lesser-known Savoie producers also deserve attention: Montfarina from Giachino and Argile Blanc from Les Ardoisières make textured, compelling wines that surprise and please.

These examples are only a starting point. There are many other approachable natural wines; this list is just a primer you can expand from.

Keep in mind that under 3% of global wine production is natural. Many people have never encountered a natural wine; when they do, they may meet an oddity without explanation and take that as the norm. That leads to visible backlash in some places.

I’m not against experimental or “deviant” wines; many need an informed audience the way molecular cuisine does, but should those edge-cases define the whole category? In any cultural movement, including natural wine, there’s a risk of ghettoization.

We need both wild, experimental bottles and approachable ones. Natural wines should not be relegated to specialist bars alone. Natural wine should appear on any good restaurant list and in wine bars of every stripe, not only in specialist venues.