Vinophila 3D Wine Expo - The Metaverse for Wine, Beer and Alcoholic Beverages

latest news

ABOUT “NATURAL” WINE

Floriana Risuglia

In recent years, the phenomenon of the so-called “natural” wine has exploded, even though when talking about this type it would be good practice to include it in quotation marks. I will immediately explain why. From a purely legal perspective, it can be said – without fear of contradiction – that the so-called “natural” wine does not exist, for a number of reasons.

It does not exist because it does not fall into any of the categories of wine products provided for by EU Regulation 1308/2013. It does not exist and cannot exist because the same Regulation expressly prohibits the marketing of products that do not fall into these categories. Later we will also see why the term under examination today cannot be included on the label.

But then what is this so-called “natural” wine? The average consumer of this product, in the vast majority of cases, identifies it as a wine produced according to organic or biodynamic criteria (and here too we should open a chapter, given that the two terms are often – improperly – confused and considered identical. The production of biodynamic wine is essentially based on philosophical principles, with lunar calendars and other Steinerian anthroposophisms, far from scientific criteria that, instead, are applied to organic wine).

From a survey carried out for a degree thesis on the topic (M. Nitri, 2024), it emerged that the perception of the concept of “natural” wine is associated with various characteristics, among which, for the majority of interviewees, the idea that it is a wine without added sulphites stands out. According to others, it is a spontaneously fermented wine, or it is associated with an idea of ​​craftsmanship (wine made as it was once made) or considered sustainable. With reference to certifications, the following data emerge: some believe it should have the VinNatur certification, others believe it should have the Demeter certification. The topic of certifications would require extensive discussion, but it is important to point out that in both the first and second cases we are dealing with brands owned by associations, which one decides to join voluntarily and freely. Demeter is an organization that has created standards for the processing of foods using an own specification. VinNature has created a sort of decalogue shared by the various associations of producers of so-called natural wine. But neither biodynamic nor so-called natural wine are regulated at a European level.

In short, so-called natural wine is considered and perceived by the consumer as: without sulphites, spontaneously fermented, artisanal, organic, genuine, unfiltered, unclarified, healthy, wholesome, sincere, clean.

The consumer also believes that “natural” wine is produced with chemical and technological interventions reduced to a minimum, even during the winemaking process, using only indigenous yeasts and, for these reasons, it would be considered a healthier and more wholesome wine and “that doesn’t give you a headache”. We could call upon a host of scientists and oenologists to discuss the adjective “chemical”; above all, Prof. Luigi Moio according to whom: “A selected yeast has nothing chemical about it, nothing strange about it, it is a natural yeast that has been isolated from the others present in nature and characterized.

Prof. Moio (Doctor wine, June 2024) also recalls how much attention is focused on added sulphites and little, instead, on the problem of high levels of acetaldehyde: an extremely reactive volatile substance, responsible for the technically known “oxidized” smell in wines (such as overripe or rotten apple), which derives from fermentation and oxidative processes. An aspect of production that is rarely discussed but which, instead, entails non-negligible consequences, not only from an organoleptic point of view, but also from the point of view of the healthiness of the wines.

Leaving the oenological field to the technicians and returning to our legal field, we must also consider “health claims”, that is, nutritional and health claims, regulated by EU Regulation 1924/2006. Health claims are those that relate a nutrient or food to a beneficial physiological effect and the prevention of certain diseases.

We have seen that according to recent studies, consumers perceive so-called natural wine as “tasty, genuine, safe, healthy”. The attribute of “naturalness”, then, amplifies the positive perception towards a food. Consumers who show interest in a healthy diet and who prefer genuine foods are more influenced by the information on the label and tend to prefer products defined as “natural” (Grunert et al. 2018)

According to the Direction Generale de la Concurrence de la Consommation et de la Repression des Fraudes, the mention “Vin Nature” is not considered compliant with European legislation: in particular with art. 53 of Reg. 33/2019 which regulates “Indications that refer to certain production methods”.

In 2021, in response to a question received by the Commission on the possibility of using the terms “natural wine” or “natural method wine”, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety specified that the term “natural” is not part of the nutritional and health claims provided for by EU Reg. 1924/2006 and that, in the absence of common legislation at European level, if the adjective “natural” were used it would be considered as voluntary information and, as such, subject to the conditions of EU Reg. 1169/2011 (Provision of Indications to the Consumer): the Regulation provides that voluntary information must not mislead the consumer, must not be ambiguous or cause confusion. This terminology, therefore, has been considered misleading because it could lead the consumer to believe that “natural wine” or wine made according to “natural” methods belongs to a healthier and better category than so-called conventional wines.

And this explains why it is difficult (if not impossible, but it happened to me…) to find a label that reports the words “natural wine”.

From the results of the wine-legal research that I have carried out on the subject, I have managed to find a single regulatory basis in Canon Law, that is, the body of laws formulated by the ecclesiastical authority that regulates the Catholic Church, according to which the wine used for the liturgy “must be natural, from the fruit of the vine and not altered”. The wine must not be combined with other substances and must be preserved in perfect condition so that it does not become vinegar; for this reason, the presence of sulphites is permitted as they are considered preservative agents and do not alter its composition. With all due respect to “naturalists” around the world.

Floriana Risuglia is a Supreme Court Lawyer, specialized in Wine Law, Professor of Wine Law, consultant for wine companies, member of AIDV, Commission for Wine Law COA Rome, Vice President of UGIVI, Professor ONAV and Delegate ONAV Rome, Vice Delegate for Women of Wine Lazio.

Vinophila
Vinophila
Vinophila 3D Wine Expo - The metaverse for Wine, Beer and Alcoholic Beverages

Latest Posts

spot_imgspot_img