Why I don't recommend Natural Wines to new wine drinkers

Seems like lately in New York, a new natural wine bar opens up every other day. Natural wine has certainly taken the world by storm in recent years. But here’s why I think they might not be the best first choice for newbies to the wine scene.

1. Wild Flavor Rides

Regular winemakers usually try to somewhat adhere to a traditional regional style. So you can slowly associate a region, grape, or style to a set of flavors or aromas. The next time you buy a similar wine, you broadly know what to expect.

Natural wines? Not so much. They’re all about doing their own thing, which means each bottle can be a surprise party of tastes—sometimes exciting, sometimes more... experimental.

As a new drinker, it can already be frustrating trying to navigate the bewildering world of wines. You might not want the added complexity of these rule breakers before you even know the "rules".

2. Mood Swings

These wines are sensitive. Many natural wines don't add sulfites, a harmless additive* used to stop fermentation in the bottle.

Therefore, a little extra light or a shift in temperature can turn today's yummy wine into tomorrow's salad dressing (literally! Overly fermented wine is vinegar). That’s a tough gamble for anyone, but especially if you don't drink that often.

*No, it doesn't cause headaches. You're just drinking too much

3. The Funk Factor

Some natural wines can be a bit, uh, funky. And sometimes not just "old kombucha" funky, but full-on "farm animal" levels of smell. If you’re new to wine, you might not be ready for that kind of commitment.

4. Weird Labels

Kinda related to point 1. With most regular wines, the labels tell you what to expect. They’ll chat about grape types, where they grew, and maybe some more information about the style.

Natural wine labels are often just a quirky name and zany graphics. Great to draw your attention, but not so great for setting expectations.

5. QC Issues

I hesitate to include this point because many, many natural wine makers are excellent and make amazing wines. But I definitely notice much more variations in quality in natural wines.

Many natural wines are one or many of these: unfined, unfiltered, fermented with wild yeasts, no additives added. Without going into details, this results in much more difficult wine-making, and bigger variances in taste — even among different bottles from the same exact batch.

So more research (and luck!) is needed to obtain a good bottle of natural wine. Starting with natural wines can thus be a bit like jumping into the deep end when you’re still wearing floaties. Maybe stick to the shallow end with some friendly, predictable bottles until you're ready to swim with the big fish.

Of course there are a lot of nuances here. Some natural wines, I don't even realize they are natural until I read the labels. But as a rule of thumb, natural wine makers want to break the mold. This is what makes natural wines so exciting for seasoned, jaded wine drinkers, but bewildering for newbies.

Interested to learn more about wines? We taste many non-natural (and natural) wines at our beginner-friendly tasting sessions in Manhattan. Check out our Event Calendar here.