No matter how you label it – natural, raw, low-intervention or even naked – wine in its purest form has never been more popular. The style started in rural France, but it is now on wine lists everywhere (with some restaurants serving the natural variety exclusively). For some, it is unappealing, a foodie fad and a hipster-fuelled trend that was doomed from the start. But, natural wine, simply put, is the producer’s way of harkening back to traditional processes, styles and techniques. Not only is natural wine produced more sustainably, but it’s usually done without pesticides, herbicides and lab-grown yeast, added acid or sugar (beyond what’s needed to kick-start the production of alcohol), and sans plenty of other additives that (supposedly) preserve colour, smell and viscosity. But that doesn’t mean that these new wines have to be sour, category-defying or even particularly different tasting. There are plenty of pinot noirs, chardonnays and even rosés out there that go down well on their own and pair nicely with food. Here, we have picked out five bottles for the natural curious.

Based in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Mr Andy Young’s The Marigny crafts a suite of natural wines from Oregon-grown grapes. For some, he turns to carbonic maceration – an alternative way of mashing grapes that relies on CO2 – but in other instances he tends to keep it classic, with subtle twists that can entice even the pickiest palate. This one is an excellent example: it’s made from grapes from two sources, aged on three different materials with 30 per cent of the blend being filtered. It boasts notes of lemon, crème fraiche and freshly baked bread.

primalwine.com

Tucked into the apple-growing northeast of the US, Fable Farm Fermentory operates first and foremost as a farm – with soil health and biodiversity as their main goals. As such, the winemaker grows a bevy of crops, but it’s also committed to carrying on the centuries-old tradition of beverage making and farm tending – and that means supporting other farms, too. It’s wines, produced alongside their ciders, are made from locally sourced vermont grapes and boast both complexity and character. The 2016 Amida is a wild-fermented, macerated white with incredible notes of stone fruit and candied citrus peel.

fablefarmfermentory.com

Liten Buffel’s wines are meant to encapsulate a place and moment, and convey palatable evidence of its techniques. Think of its wine as a centuries-old import: made from New York-grown, foot-stomped grapes, rested on wood and bottled by hand. With minimal intervention, and absolute faith in their soil, these wines turn out beautiful and recognisable. They’re downright delicious, but they’re distinguishable from flat iterations from mass-producers – especially when the aromas of herbal tea, black cherries and ripe strawberries burst from the glass.

litenbuffel.com

Mr Todd Cavallo’s Wild Arc Farm burst onto the scene with it delicate sparkling wines, but the farm also makes an excellent collection of still ones. Its Carbonic Marquette relies on a new hybrid red wine grape, but is reminiscent of old-time styles. It’s rich and textural, with unique structure and incredible notes of dark fruit and tart candy. There’s nothing to decode here – and certainly nothing to be afraid of.

wildarcfarm.com

Though rosé maintains a reputation for being easy-drinking and less distinctive on flavour, natural producers restore energy to the loosely-defined style (which may also be the world’s oldest). This one is crafted from 100 per cent lagrein grapes from California’s El Dorado hills, an area with volcanic rock, shale and fine grained granite soil, and without added yeast, bacteria or sulphites. It’s pale red, has excellent body for being so light, and is reminiscent of your classic rosé, for those who like it, while being a bit more adventurous for those who don’t.

broccellars.com