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With warmer weather and outdoor dining growing more enticing, you might be filling your glass with chilled reds, fruity rosés and crisp whites. It seems that every wine bar and restaurant now offers a selection of natural wines, and if you’re curious to try or haven’t found the right bottle for your taste, we got the skinny on all things organic and natural in the wine world from Lynn McKenzie, Co-Owner of the Ox Wine Bar in Brooklyn, New York and Sofia Flannery, Beverage Director at Vinyl Steakhouse and Vinile Italian Chophouse in Manhattan.
“Natural wine is made with minimal intervention, using native yeasts and little to no additives or sulfites,” says McKenzie. This differs from organic wine, which “comes from grapes grown without synthetic chemicals,” and biodynamic wine, which “takes it further with holistic, moon-phase-guided farming. These wines differ from conventional ones by prioritizing purity, sustainability, and a true expression of the vineyard.”
While organic and natural wines are not always served chilled, you’re most likely to find light reds and whites made with pinot noir, gamay, syrah, chenin blanc, and pet-nats, varietals with “fresh, vibrant flavors,” according to McKenzie.
If you’re shopping for a bottle or choosing a glass from a menu, McKenzie recommends asking about the wine’s body, acidity, sweetness, and fruitiness. Then, she says, be honest about what you prefer, and let the sommelier guide you in the right direction. Many of these wines pair well with light, simple dishes. Flannery says, “Natural wines are fantastic with salty and funky foods. Think artisanal aged hard cheeses. Or seafoods with salinity like calamari, shrimp, or mussels.” Expect to spend $20 to $30 on a great-tasting bottle.
And don’t be shy about drinking up—natural wines don’t necessarily improve with age. Store them upright in a cool, dark space and enjoy within a year. Below, shop some of our favorites.
All Avaline wines are organic, and the rosé is a wonderfully light and refreshing sip for hot weather. With tasting notes of stone and tropical fruits with a peppery finish, this blended wine from France has zero grams of sugar per glass, which is hard to find in a sweet-tasting rosé.
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This orange-hued sip gets its sunset color from pino gris grapes fermented using the skin contact method. Three other white grape varietals round out the flavors of dried apricot, jasmine and grapefruit. This is a dry, tannic wine that’s best served chilled and pairs well with light seafood.
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Klara is a new line of fully organic wines from Domaine Clarence Dillon that includes a red, white, and rosé. The white has a strong minerality balanced by fruit and florals with notes of honey and sea salt. It’s produced in southern France using a 50/50 blend of sauvignon blanc and viognier varietals.
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Kind of Wild sources and produces organic wines from around the world. Its rosé is produced by a third-generation winemaker in southern France. It has a fresh, juicy, and sweet flavor with notes of floral minerality.
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This natural wine is produced in the Mendoza appellation of Cuyo, Argentina. It’s an affordable bottle that offers great bang for your buck with its bold, red fruit notes and light, refreshing palate.
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This is a medium-bodied, dry and acidic pet-nat from the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. It has a lovely effervescence with notes of berries. It has a dry, almost chalky finish.
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Ready to give natural wines a try? McKenzie recommends starting “with a chilled gamay or a pet-nat—they're light, fun, and easy to enjoy. Look for wines labeled natural or organic from trusted shops or bars. And keep an open mind—they can taste different but in a good way!”
