Morning all,

This week we’re going natural.

Simon’s Wine of the Week is Francesco Anne Santi Ninfa Del Nera.

Today’s Wine of the Week is going to be controversial. Why? Because the Anne Santi del Nera has a couple of things going for it that get a lot of people hot and bothered. One is the fact that it is made biodynamically. The other that it has had no added sulfites. When it comes to these two things a lot of people have a lot of opinions. I’m going to try and stick to the facts.

Before I dig a little deeper into the merits of both, can I just say that I really like this wine. It has got really interesting things going for it both in flavour and texture. But let’s delve into the controversy first.

Let us start with Biodymanic. Biodynamic agriculture is a system of farming developed by Austrian philosopher and occultist Rudolph Steiner in the mid 1920’s. Biodynamics is a complicated subject, but it boils down to seeing the whole vineyard as a single organism, eschewing chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and farming sustainably. It was the first organic farming practice. All well and good you think. But Biodynamics takes it a few steps further. It uses a special calendar so that sowing and harvesting are timed on the position of the moon, planets and stars. It uses herbal and mineral additives that are buried in the ground to channel ‘cosmic forces in the soil’. Some people have called it pseudoscience. Some people swear by it; some of the world’s greatest vineyards, particularly in Burgundy, are farmed biodynamically. It’s not my place to wade into the argument here but I will just repeat something a winemaker said to me a few years back, “Any producer who puts so much care and attention into their vines is going to make great wine.”

This takes us to the tricky subject of sulfites. This wine has no added sulfites. This does not mean that it has no sulfites as they occur naturally in all wine so there is no such thing as a no sulfite wine. It’s impossible no matter how hard you try. So why add them in the first place? Sulfites have been added to wine for centuries, usually as a preservative. They protect the wine from oxidation and bacterial spoilage, essentially keeping it fresh and clean. So why would you want a wine that has no added sulfites. Because some people are allergic to them, some to the point of anaphylaxis. No controversy here. The controversy comes from a larger group of people who claim to be sensitive to them, in the form of asthma and headaches. I’m certainly not claiming that sulfites don’t cause these symptons. The controversy lies in the fact that a lot of other foods contain sulfites in much higher concentrations, and a lot of people who avoid wine due to the sulfites, don’t avoid these foods. If you’ve ever munched on dried fruits, pickles, fruit juices, tofu, prawns, or guacamole, then you’ll have had your fill of sulfites. Again, it’s not my place to wade into the argument, it is up to the wine lover to decide where they sit on sulfites fence.

Right, after that big chunk of information let’s talk about the wine. It’s a blend of more unusual Italian grape varieties, Grechetto, Malvasia, and Trebbiano, made in Umbria, in Central Italy. Although it is not classed as ‘Orange’ it has had some time on its skins which adds some texture. It has also been aged on the lees, the dead yeast cells, that adds more texture and depth. It is a really interesting wine. On the nose it is leafy, with ripe apple fruit, touches of sherbet, and mineral notes. The palate is off-dry with slight yeast notes, ripe melon and red apple, and touches of sweet shop.

This wine is a great introduction to ‘Natural’ wine and would suit any establishment wishing to dip their toes into that world. 

Have a great week all,

Simon