Trenzado Valle de la Orotava 2020
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Here in Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco, rugged vineyards can be 200 years old and winemaking methods can be brazenly old-school. Jonatan García Lima works a parcel of Listán Blanco (aka Palomino in Sherry country) that’s planted on an ancient system called “trenzado” in which the vines are braided up volcanic slopes like arms, some extending 30 feet. We would gladly reach many, many feet to get our hands on a bottle of this textural, savory, bright white wine. Its stinky, volcanic-terroir aromas may shock, but its palate is crystalline and pure. A juxtaposition that keeps Canary Islands wines at the top of many tuned-in drinkers’ lists.
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About Natural Wine
Great question! There are a lot of definitions for natural wine with the main term you'll hear being that it has had minimal intervention. To be more specific, our definition is that the wine must first be sustainably farmed, which typically means it was organically or biodynamically farmed.
Then, in the cellar the natural winemaking process has some differences as well! The wine is typically unfined, unfiltered, and goes through spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts. If you want to know more about what natural wine is, we have an entire guide under our reference section!
The short answer is that natural wine can taste like any other kind of conventional wine (we like to call these stealth natural wines) or it can taste quite a bit different, as production methods can vary and potentially be lighter, or in a style you've never had before (like orange, pet-nat or amphora).
The natural wine community is also more accepting of some qualities in wines that conventional would consider a flaw, like Brett, some oxidation, or volatile acidity. We would consider these in high amounts to also be a flaw, but in many cases a touch of these qualities can ultimately improve their flavor and texture and be happily accepted in a natural wine.
To find out more about what natural wine tastes like, check out our full blog and podcast on the topic here.
The short answer is, no! But many are. Glou-glou describes winesthat are easily chuggable, impossible to put the glass down, and seductively delicious! They tend to be young and fresh, designed to be drunk early with an average ABV of around 10%. Check out different styles or glou glou natural wine here on our site.