In a recent post on Fermentation- Natural Wine: The Ugly Underbelly Tom throws a flag on how natural wine is marketed by denigrating that which it is not. Though I do not agree 100% with the call, I do see where it is seen this way, and it makes me question why this is so.
(note: if this wasn't so long and linked out, I would have left this as a comment on Fermentation)
Wine marketing has existed for decades by building facade and fantasy (I can't watch that video without thinking of the EU Vacation scene "He's not going to pork her Russ.... ") around brands, regions, and winemakers. The fantasy and story goes beyond the mythology of the brand and runs deep into the process (sometimes reminding me of BP going "green"). A brand that regularly puts its wines through the gamut of heavy manipulation can still be marketed as being made "hands off" or naturally. The winemaker's choice (or need) to use reverse osmosis can often become the marketing department's "artisinal process". Since most consumers believe the fairy tale spin (and that the wine industry is a good one), it is easy to believe that wine by nature is already a minimalist beverage where some people just produce more than others- I completely understand where minimalist winemakers may feel the need to separate themselves from that which they are not.
Left: "I ain't that guy..."
Right: "I'm still that guy"
Left: "I'm kind of am that guy...but without the roids, surgery, or headlining gig in Vegas"
Right: "Just look at him-- That guy is too risky, unstable, and orange to headline in Vegas"
Wrong or right- I freely admit that I consciously buy some wines based on the processes they haven't gone through. If I know a wine has been "made" beyond my personal threshold, I'd rather have a beer / cocktail / or a shot of Cherry Vanilla Schnapps with a Chicken stock back. These preferences don't just fall just into wine-- they are an extension of beliefs many have towards various consumables. (i.e. I don't buy fruit juice made from concentrate.) This doesn't mean that I think these wines are bad, evil, or will not taste pleasant, even delicious, or are automatically disconnected to their terroir- but when I buy wine, I'm looking for something far more than an alcoholic beverage, I'm looking for 1 part soul, 1 part solar system, and a dash of Sasquatch.
Fortunately for the non "natural" camp, the majority of consumers buying wine today don't know about (and might not care) about the winemaking process. The potential change within the industry comes when a growing amount of people ask to look behind the curtain, the label, and the schtick-- just get millenials and or the Chinese on the natural wine band wagon and the industry as we know it is completely fahhked. The reality of that happening at the moment is low when wines are still bought on prestige vs expressiveness, when fantasy is sold as truth, when the industry grows and thrives in part on what the consumers do not know and therefore will not ask.
If the wine industry chose transparency and people said what they did, there wouldn't be a group of people having to say what they didn't.
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"It's kind of like urinating in your pants to stay warm. It is a good short term strategy, but long term it is really not the thing to do"- Will Harris
