What is Natural Wine?
Natural wine at Apteka.
As natural wine becomes more prominent in Pittsburgh, many are asking the same question: what is it?
Natural is a blanket term for a low-intervention method of winemaking. Tomasz Skowronski of Apteka, an Eastern-European vegan eatery in Garfield that added a natural wine shop to their offerings in late 2020, says it’s easier to describe what’s not a natural wine rather than what is.
Natural wine focuses on minimal intervention. There aren’t clear definitions of what this means – in the most pure form, natural wine would be untouched, fermented grape juice – though Skowronski gives a few examples. Those making natural wine may not regulate the temperature of their fermenting tank, won’t add sulfurs in, and won’t use wild yeast.
“There are all kinds of chemicals and boosters that people typically use – not just chemicals but lab enzymes and things– that can help kind of help create an environment along the way to guide your wine wherever you want. And that's the kind of stuff that natural wine typically is cutting out,” he explains.
“The big distinction to make is that natural wine isn't just wild wine,” he adds. Producing natural wine is considered to be a more philosophical approach to winemaking, because there are certain interventions winemakers have to make, like measuring sugar levels.
Flavors, though assumed to be funky and weird, vary. Yes, Skowronski says, there are plenty of vineyards that really “roll the dice” to see what the flavor of their wine will be; even some of the larger producers in their shop at Apteka have wines that smell like cabbage. He says they carry some bottles that appeal to those who enjoy a lambic-style beer, wines that are a bit higher in acid content, yeasty, or might have that stereotypical farm-y flavor. But that’s not the majority of natural wines.
In Pittsburgh, natural wine is a growing trend. At least three new shops have opened in the past few months: Apteka, tina's, and a bottle shop and wine club based out of Bar Marco, Nine O'Clock Wines.
It’s worth noting, however, that natural wine isn't new to the wine world. Skowronski wouldn’t even call it an undercurrent of the industry, saying “If someone's trying to market wine, then they're pushing producers to try and fall within these categories that keep in mind at least sustainability and minimal intervention.”
“In France,” he says, “...[natural wine] has been rocking and is not new news. This is like, from the 70s. It’s really established.”
Apteka’s Picks
We asked the Apteka team to recommend a few wines from their shop, which, like the restaurant, focuses on Eastern-European flavors.
(Južnoslovenská, Alibernet/Dunaj, NV) (SK)
From their website: “Fred #5 is a blend of two grapes, Alibernet (cross between Alicante Henri Bouschet + Cabernet Sauvignon) and Dunaj (cross between Blauer Portugieser + Sankt Laurent) across three vintages- 2017-2019. It’s an adventurous, reflective table wine, brimming with stemmy cherry and spice.” Learn more about the producer here.
MÜLLER-THURGAU PUR, ENDERLE & MOLL
(Baden, Müller-Thurgau, 2019) (DE)
From their website: “3-4 week maceration and fermentation, then pressed. The wine is then moved to a 1000 liter clay tank and 30% of the skins are added back in. It then matures for 10 months on the full lees. No filtration and almost no sulfur added at bottling.” Learn more here.
(Kamptal, Zweigelt, 2019) (AT)
From their website: “In the cellar, the commandment is minimal intervention. The wines undergo spontaneous fermentation and are sulphurized only before bottling with moderate dosage.” Read more here.
(Emilia-Romagna, Barbera/Bonarda, 2017) (IT)
From their website: “Croci makes a few bottles we come back to time and time again- the cidery, peppery, and refreshing Lubigo, the dry, aromatic, beautiful skin-contact crusher full of apricots & orange peel- Campedello, and our go-to, Gutturnio- a mix of Bonarda and Barbera. It’s killer- deep, dry, and acidic, full of dark ripe cherry and earth. Bold and untamed but really friendly- it’s an ideal companion for any activity- doing the laundry, yard work, walking the dog.” Learn more here.
STORY BY MAGGIE WEAVER // PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEITH RECKER
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