all things natty
all things natty
what even is natural wine + where to sip
what even is natural wine:
iykyk (+ can skip on ahead) buttt for the boomers in the back… natural wine is essentially any wine made with low intervention (ie no additives, no subtractives), sometimes referred to as “raw” or “naked” wine. so essentially just fermented grape juice, often made by indie winemakers using responsibly farmed grapes + vineyards (not evil, soulless corporations…). i personally love the ones that taste a little *funky* (ie more tart and/or sour; the kind your uncle might say tastes ‘very very interesting’ as he smiles and spits it back into his glass). but there’s plenty of natural wines that taste “traddy” (traditional) too. the natural wine culture is stereotypically less stuffy, and more young, fresh + experimental.
orange wine:
and nooo, it’s not made from oranges. orange wine is made with white grapes whose skins (aka skin contact!) are left on during fermentation, giving it that signature amber hue. orange wine’s actually the og of wines, originating millenia ago in georgia (the country, not the state!).
pét-nat:
pét-nat (french for "pétillant naturel" or natural sparkling) is where the bubbles occur naturally, leaving a subtle sparkle vs that of the fizzy sugar-y champagne. just be careful when you open your pét-nat so as to not spray out all that valuable juice…
cider wine co-ferments:
which are made by fermenting a grape and a fruit (like an apple!) at the same time. these fruit wines are actually having a big moment, especially in california with all of the fires and smoke damaging grapes. winemakers like vinca minor, buddy buddy + jumbo time wines are all excelling with their take. and if you ever see my favorite wavy wines x bardos cider collab, grab me a bottle pls.
zero-zero:
no additives, no subtractions, no added yeasts or sufur. not all natural wines are zero-zero, but a few of my favorites do make some mean zero-zeros like scotty boy, purity + subject to change, and let me tell you, they are a TREAT.
where to sip natural wine, all over:
some of my go-to wine bars + restaurants with impressive natural wine lists
athens, greece: tanini agapi mou
sifnos, greece: loggia
los angeles, california: el prado
copenhagen, denmark: pompette
san francisco, california: bar part time
oakland, california: snail bar
valle de guadalupe, mexico: bloodlust
paris, france: aux deux amis
portland, oregon: sweedeedee
tokyo: ahiru store
new york, new york: cherry on top
oslo, norway: el brutus
los alamos, california: bodega
lisbon, portugal: senhor uva
hudson, new york: lil debs oasis
sonoma, california: valley bar and bottle
vienna, austria: cafe espresso
santa barbara, california: bibi ji
miami, florida: margot
ojai, california: pinyon
montreal, canada: vinvinvin
denver, colorado: noble riot
costa mesa, california: semi tropic wines
nashville, tennessee: lou
san diego, california: mabel’s gone fishing
atlanta, georgia: staplehouse
joshua tree, california: mas on menos
dublin, ireland: frank’s
kansas city, missouri: big mood
edinburgh, scotland: bar zero zero
vancouver, canada: bar tartare
austin, texas: lolo
on my radar + want to try next time:
mexico city, mexico: loup bar
barcelona, spain: bar brutal
charleston, south carolina: bar rollins
seattle, washington: la dive
milwaukee, wisconsin: nonfiction
la’s (eastside!) natural wine scene:
where to buy natural wine in la:
bottle shops: psychic wines, silverlake wine, vinovore, nico’s, wine & eggs
delivery: little lands
where to sip natural wine in la:
el prado, cafe triste, barr seco, sam’s place, melody, tilda, homage brewing, baby battista (at nico’s)
where to sip natural wine + dine in la:
kismet, botanica, night+market, lasita, woon (esp. on woon wine wednesday!), all time, found oyster + queen street
where to bang bang in la, natty edition:
chinatown – lasita for dinner + cafe triste for drinks
where to buy natural wine online:
directly from the winemaker (go to their website!), primal wine, mysa wine
must-try winemakers:
california: scotty boy, good boy, purity, wavy, wonderwerk, gpa, subject to change, ruth lewandowski, stagiaire, say when, fiky fiky, las jaras, zumo, iruai, gearhead
italy: cantina indigeno, le coste
spain: microbio
austria: meinklang
california natty wine country:
yeah, sonoma and nappy are cool and all, but look out for richmond! a ton of my favorite winemakers are producing in richmond, and many specifically in purity’s richmond wine collective. i’ve been lucky enough to sip with purity winemaker noel + his wife barrie, who even provided our truly dreamy custom “eight twelve” skin contact for our 8.12 wedding <3
how to order:
look i’m no somm by any means, but i will say that aside from shooting for some pretty cool natural winemakers, i just really (really) love natty. tasting with this flavor wheel in mind is a good way to start pinpointing the flavors you’re into. talk to your server / bartender / bottle shop human and they can help you find the ideal bottle based on what kind of profile you like. you’ll have more luck having a discussion instead of just pointing blindly at words on the menu (or as i think we all have done, the bottle with the cute label). i’m personally into a chilled, tart or briney orange (love a pinot gris on the skins!), a deep italian rosato, and anything light + carbonic or a crunchy nouveau (when it’s nouveau season!).
for the sober curious in the back:
worth noting: non is a non-alcoholic natural wine that actually tastes like (very good!) wine, made with low intervention for all my sober curious and/or pregnant friends out there.
must reads:
zines like glou glou zine + pipette
now playing:
shigeo sekito special sound series vol. 2 the word
these melodies pair well with a chilled pét-nat + a handful of salt-encrusted, oil-y (in the best way!) marcona almonds
happy sipping my friends!