Now that Spring is upon us heralding the end of the endless winter mist we thought it time to put together a selection of natural wines fit for the Season. Light, bright, fresh, aromatic, sensual: these are the bottles we reach for at this time of year.
Chenin, but no buttery oak, this is all done in steel tank to keep that citrus twang just as clean as a whistle. Green apple and pear with some nice zippy white peach. The Baby Bandito range offers some crazy value. Find out more.
RegionBandits Kloof, Eendekuil & Piketberg, Swartland, South Africa
GrapesChenin Blanc
VineyardUncertified Organic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
Simple, easygoing white - the still version of Tinc Set, which comes from the same base wine. It’s a blend of Xarel-lo & Parellada that is cold-pressed and fermented in steel, which keeps the wine squeaky clean and very drinkable. Think of it as a still Cava. Find out more.
RegionAlt Penedès, Barcelona, Spain
GrapesXarel-lo & Parellada
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
Another fabulous small-scale, biodynamically-farmed natural wine from the home soils of England. It's a scene that numbers a dedicated handful of growers that is gaining more momentum with each passing vintage. This pretty field-blend fizz is a great example. Believe! Find out more.
Sub-alpine white displaying that pristine, cut-glass clarity that seems to come with the territory. Clean and fresh, but still complex with flowers, nuts and wild herbs. Find out more.
RegionArtemare, Bugey, France
GrapesAltesse
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
One of those beautifully-coloured, luminous wines that results from combining red and white grapes in the vinification. A vintage of compact, crystalline fruits and stony minerals, elevated by a gentle piquancy to the acids. Find out more.
RegionArtemare, Bugey, France
GrapesMondeuse & Jacquère du Bugey
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
Electric Touraine pet nat from a producer with a deft hand for the style. A refreshing balance of zippy green apple and lemon citrus, opening to ripe pear and melon. The overall character is unmistakably Loire and makes for a note-perfect aperitif.
Find out more.
RegionTouraine, Loire, France
GrapesMenu Pineau & Chardonnay
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
Inky Malbec (the eponymous Côt) that is much brighter and crunchier than most would expect of the grape. As always with Mikaël's wines, there is a noticeable mineral imprint; that hard-to-define aspect of wet stones or patio paving following rain on a hot day. Find out more.
RegionTouraine, Loire, France
GrapesMalbec
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
An absolute essential as we move into the warmer months - Txakoli is the native white wine of the Basque region of Spain and is in that lean, bone dry, spritzy style that is reminiscent of the more ubiquitous Portuguese Vinho Verde. This is the wine that you see being pouring from extravagant heights in the pintxos bars of San Sebastian - serve it ice cold alongside some little fried fishes and you're on the right track. Find out more.
RegionTxakoli de Getaria, Basque Country, Spain
GrapesHondarrabi Zuri
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, light filtration, unfined, minimal additional sulphites
Fabio's entry-point Catarratto that blends grapes from both his sandy coastal vines and those from the valley, further inland. Sharp-edged and linear, with zesty white peach and apricot stone fruits cut through with a long beam of acidity. A wine that speaks of the ocean breeze and rolling hills of western Sicily. Find out more.
RegionMarsala, Sicily, Italy
GrapesCatarratto
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
Wow! This is one of those wines that makes a lasting impression for its pure deliciousness. What comes across most distinctively, from beneath all that bright, energetic red berry fruit, is a profoundly stony, mineral tone, as if the wine had been filtered through rock. At once easy to drink, but divertingly complex. Find out more.
RegionVauxrenard, Beaujolais, France
GrapesGamay
VineyardBiodynamic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
A pleasing all-rounder showcasing typical Catalonian varietals, all coming from different vineyard plots and blended, seemingly effortlessly, in stainless steel. Xarel.lo, Macabeo, Malvasia de Sitges, Parellada and White Sumoll all jostle together in this fresh yet funky blend. White pepper, lemon citrus. Find out more.
RegionPenedes, Spain
GrapesXarel.lo, Macabeo, Malvasia de sitges, Parellada & White Sumoll
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
Like all of Mikaël's wines from the dry 2022 vintage, there is a chiselled structure and profound minerality, the vines having reached deep down to the limestone bedrock for nutrients. White peach and spices with taut acidity and a delicate, honeyed quality, neatly balanced out with a pronounced salty minerals. A wine of precision and poise. Find out more.
RegionTouraine, Loire, France
GrapesChenin Blanc
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
A serious wine with a silly name - Couilles d'Anes translates as 'donkey balls', a colloquial term coined by the local vigneron to describe the unusual black stones that can be found dotting the vineyard soils in certain locations. A delightfully aromatic vintage, bright cherry and bramble fruits meld with a violet perfume in the glass. Find out more.
RegionTouraine, Loire, France
GrapesCôt
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
A restrained, nuanced wine made with 100% Menu Pineau, grown over alluvial limestone gravel. A pale green-gold in the glass, with shy citrus aromas, on the palate there is a delicate balance of pear and green melon, softened by a subtle touch of barrel influence. Find out more.
RegionTouraine, Loire, France
GrapesMenu Pineau
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
Reflecting a much cooler and wet growing season, the 2021 Vin Dzi shows delicacy and nuance with distinct minerality sitting alongside notes of citrus and wet stones. Made using a blend of equal parts of Chardonnay and Savagnin from three parcels in Arbois, Molamboz and Montigny-lès-Arsures. Find out more.
RegionMolamboz, Jura
GrapesChardonnay & Savagnin
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
The taste of Garnacha when grown at altitude over granitic soils in the mountains surrounding the city of Madrid. Hot days and cool nights impart freshness and perfume. Find out more.
RegionSierra de Gredos, Castella y Leon, Spain
GrapesGarnacha
VineyardOrganic & Biodynamic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
Zippy, fresh, summer staple! A rosé made from 100% Gamay, direct pressed and rested in vat for 6 months. On the palate the wine bursts with crunchy red fruits with a light herbaceous edge. Find out more.
RegionNantes, Loire, France
GrapesGamay
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
Lucky You is a blend of around 2/3 Sauvignon blanc with 1/3 Chardonnay. The two grapes work together effortlessly, the Sauvignon Blanc bringing beautiful bright fruits while the Chardonnay adds minerality and soft creamy texture. Find out more.
RegionTouraine, Loire, France
GrapesChardonnay & Sauvignon Blanc
VineyardOrganic & Biodynamic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
Less steely and with softer edges than his more classical staple 'La Pente de Chavigny', this feels open and expressive, but never anything other than laser-beam linear. Juicy green apple, elderflower and ripe pear come together in a salivating meld, with a line of raw lemon citrus cutting it all through - without intervention, none of Mikaël’s whites complete malolactic, giving the wine some good vibrancy and edge. Find out more.
RegionTouraine, Loire, France
GrapesSauvignon Blanc
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
Simple, thirst-quenching rosé made from the same base wine as his La Bulle pet-nat, a direct press of Gamay and Côt. It's a straightforward vinification, similarly completed in steel only and then bottled young. The style is less fruit-forward, more lean and savoury - little red fruits sit below a more prominent saline minerality. With a good chill this is one of those no-brainer pours for those moments when more is more. Find out more.
RegionTouraine, Loire, France
GrapesGamay & Côt
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites