Natural wine is wine made with natural grapes, without adding or taking anything away from that grape. The result is a faithful reflection of the land from which the wine is born.
These are the 7 basic points that sustain the ideology of the Association of Natural Wine Producers.
CULTIVO respectful with the environment
It is practiced some type of agriculture as the ecological or biodynamic or simply follow ancestral methods using only natural products. Natural cycles are respected.
The most common and accepted treatments in ecological agriculture such as sulphur or copper sulphate should be limited to the essential. An early and preventive treatment is more beneficial than many and late. Where conditions are met, green fertilisers are recommended. There are local practices that are difficult to extrapolate but very beneficial in their natural environment.
No chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, systemic fungicides or genetically manipulated organisms are used.
Commitment to the NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.
In addition to practising respectful agriculture, a coherent behaviour is maintained when channelling resources such as energy, work or water. The wines are bottled in glass bottles that are covered with natural cork.
It is positive that there is a commitment to improve the environment. We must try to generate as little waste as possible and manage it in the best possible way, encouraging energy saving. Resources must be used as efficiently as possible.
There are no social costs or externalities.
The VITICULTOR is the AUTHOR
The Author of the wine controls the vineyard, is responsible for all the work that is done and makes decisions.
It is preferable that the vineyards are owned. It is also preferable that the producer works directly and is involved in each of the tasks devoting a significant part of their time to the vineyard.
You do not buy grapes from uncontrolled vineyards.
AUTHENTICITY and SINGULARITY
The grape must reflect the conditions of the soil and the vintage. There should be no elements that distort the expression of soil and grape in the wine.
Manual and handcrafted work is preferable. The machinery used must not alter the natural conditions of the grape, must or wine. The wine is not filtered or clarified in order to preserve the natural characteristics of the wine.
Commercial yeasts or any other product are not used to accelerate or lead alcoholic fermentation. Malolactic bacteria are not used to accelerate or lead malolactic fermentation, acidity is not corrected by acidifying (with tartaric acid, citric acid or any other substance) or deacidifying, it is not chaptalised or headed with alcohol, ascorbic acid, sorbic acid or potassium sorbate is not used, antibiotics, aromas are not added,
no wood shavings or pieces of wood are used for flavouring, no reverse osmosis, concentration, cryomaceration or any other technique involving the artificial disintegration of must or wine components. It is not clarified, it is left to the wine itself to do this operation, with the help of time. It is not filtered, thus natural and beneficial components for the natural evolution of the wine are not eliminated.
NO SULPHUR DIOXIDE (SO2) IS USED
Sulphur Anhydride or Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) is harmful to health. It is an irritant and toxic gas very dangerous for those who must work with it, prolonged exposures can have lethal consequences.
For the consumer it causes headaches, migraines and hangovers. Allergic people cannot drink conventional wines. Some organic derivatives of sulphites can induce certain cancers. Work without using SO2.
It should not be used at any time. It is possible to investigate and learn techniques that eliminate their need, such as the hyperoxidation of the must, the natural stabilization by the passage of time and the succession of spontaneous physical and chemical processes, the visual and organoleptic control of the oxidation potential and the limitation of the exposure of the wine to the air, etc.
The wine must not have added SO2, the level of Total SO2 endorsed by official analysis must correspond to something generated by the wine itself in its process or to deviations caused by analytical methods, never to added by the winemaker.
You say what you do and you do what you say
Honesty and transparency are the main values of natural wine producers. The entire production process is reported. Chemical analyses of wines are available to customers and consumers. There is coherence between what is transmitted and the wine that is produced.
As far as possible, as many parameters as possible should be obtained to demonstrate the authenticity of the wine and given appropriate publicity for this purpose. It is recommended to sign this manifesto and expose it to the public, even formalizing it in a notarial act, which will be valid before the buyers of the wine and any other person whose behavior is influenced by the fact that it is a natural wine.
Commitment to the ASSOCIATION and Associates
The postulates of the Association are shared and defended. Collaborate with other members on technical, commercial, legal or any other issues that are of interest to the viability of their projects. The partners must comply with the established rules and show their honesty and honesty. The philosophy and the professionalism of each one are the standard of the whole association.
You must participate in the activity of the Association by contributing and learning. It is necessary to work the land respecting the laws of nature, to obtain the best grape that can give us the year. To share knowledge and experiences and to have the commitment of constant improvement, defending the elaboration of Natural Wines.