The phrase ‘natural wine’ often conjures confusion. Isn’t all wine natural? Is ‘natural wine’ just another way of saying ‘organic’?
This confusion is partially because people can’t agree on a definition, because it’s not universally understood. As wine expert Alice Feiring puts it in her book Natural Wine for the People, “Natural wine is wine without crap in it.”
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Colin Hofer, Michelin Guide’s 2022 Chicago Sommelier of the Year and Adorn Bar & Restaurant general manager, prefers using the phrase ‘minimal intervention.’ “The word ‘natural’ can spin out of control,” he says. “I explain to guests that it’s wine made with ethics.” By ethics, he means that the wine has been well-farmed, usually with organic or biodynamic practices. “Generally, the farmer cares about the land and removes themselves from the process, letting the juice ferment like it would normally.”
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Of course, when wine ferments naturally, there can be more variety and more bottle variation. But that is part of the fun, and one of the reasons that natural wine is catching on. In places such as Paris and Sicily, natural wine bars are the norm while the scene in New York City is booming. A recent article in the Austin Chronicle called natural wine the city’s biggest drink trend. “Natural wine is not as well understood yet in the Midwest as in Paris, but it’s definitely coming,” explains Hofer.
Gretchen Skedsvold and her husband, Mark Henry, co-owners of Henry & Son, an independent wine store in Minneapolis, became accustomed to natural wines when they lived in NYC. “Most restaurants have natural wine on their lists in New York, but nobody refers to them in that way,” she says.
When the couple moved from New York to Minneapolis, they could find natural wines at nice restaurants but not in the wine shops, so they decided to start their own. “I just figured that there has to be other people like me who have traveled and want something different,” says Skedsvold. “Maybe they don’t know about it, but once they taste it and see how good it is and understand the environmental and social benefits, there’s no way people aren’t going to buy this stuff.”
After opening Henry & Son, Skedsvold was surprised to find that her clientele was younger than she expected. “We’re located close to an old money neighborhood, so I thought we would see people in their 40s or 50s with a disposable income, but we’re seeing a lot of younger adults who are willing to spend more per bottle. They’re buying less volume but are willing to pay for something really unique.”
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Skedsvold thinks that natural wine could appeal to the adventurous craft beer drinkers “because it’s not commercially produced, the flavor is a little wackier, the punk rock labels, and the DIY culture… I’ve been waiting for it to catch on,” she says.
Hofer is also waiting for natural wines to take off with the craft beer crowd. He grew up in California and says his friends from college can list dozens of IPAs, but if he asks about wine,they all go quiet. “It’s just so fascinating because it’s the same process. They can get super minutia about the types of hops, but if I talk about grape varietals, they don’t really care.”
And as more places like GoodFunk, a natural wine bar in Chicago that prioritizes educating people about natural wines, open their doors, there will likely be more interest.
If you’re curious about natural wines, below are some of the places where you can find them in St. Louis and beyond. Also, check out Raisin Natural Wine, a popular French natural wine application that allows you to search nearby natural wine bars and shops. The app’s especially helpful if you’re traveling in Europe, but it’s growing in popularity in the United States, and there are already several options in the Midwest.
Read More: A chance meeting in Paris unites a couple in a quest to bring natural French wines to St. Louis
St. Louis
- Civil Alchemy: 8154 Big Bend
- Claverach Farm: 568 S. Lewis, Eureka, MO
- Clover: 100 W. Lockwood
- Grand Spirits Bottle Company: 3194 S. Grand
- Little Fox: 2800 Shenandoah
- Olive + Oak: 216 W. Lockwood
- Pizzeria da Gloria: 2024 Marconi
- Robust: 227 W. Lockwood
- ‘ssippi: 2926 Cherokee
- Wild Olive Provisions: 2201 S. 39th
Kansas City
- Big Mood Natural Wines: 2020 Baltimore, Kansas City
Chicago
- Diversey Wine: 3023 W. Diversey
- GoodFunk: 180 N. Upper Wacker
- Le Midi: 2108 W. Division
- Middle Brow: 2840 W. Armitage
- Verve Wine: 2349 N. Lincoln
UPPER MIDWEST
Iowa
- Abu Nawas Beverage Company: 111 N. Main, Elkader, IA
- The Cave DSM: 1437 Walnut, Des Moines, IA
Indiana
- Mass Ave Wine: 878 Massachusetts, Indianapolis, IN
Michigan
- House of Pure Vin: 1433 Woodward, Detroit, MI
- Native Species Winery: 928 Wealthy, Grand Rapids, MI
Minnesota
- Henry & Son: 1220 Glenwood, Minneapolis, MN
Wisconsin
- American Wine Project: 802 Ridge, Mineral Point, WI
- Nonfiction Wine: 2563 S. Kinnickinnic, Milwaukee, WI
