February 12, 2025 - 0 comments
Is Natural Wine really ‘Overrated’?
We’re always surprised to see wine professionals dismiss natural wine as a mere fad. Reducing it to a category of "flawed" or "funky" wines oversimplifies a diverse and evolving movement.
Like any artisanal product, natural wine offers a full spectrum of styles, from the clean and precise to the wild and experimental. What truly defines natural wine isn’t a particular taste profile, but a deep respect for nature, careful craftsmanship, and a commitment to expressing terroir, grape variety, and fermentation in the purest way possible.
Of course, not every natural wine will appeal to everyone—that’s the beauty of wine in general. But to label an entire category as "overrated" disregards the dedication of countless winemakers working to create something meaningful.
In fact, if natural wine were truly the biggest problem in the wine industry, that would be a great thing. Perhaps the real issue behind the "overrated" label isn’t quality or consistency, but the fact that natural wine sparks an outsized level of discussion.
Despite representing a small fraction of total wine production, it generates significant enthusiasm among winemakers, drinkers, and distributors alike. Given its impact on every aspect of wine, soils, chemicals, additives, margins, local distribution, it’s a movement worth celebrating, not diminishing.
This enthusiasm is reflected in the industry itself. Over the last decade, even publications traditionally focused on conventional wine have acknowledged the contributions of natural winemakers. La Revue du vin de France, for example, has awarded five natural winemakers the title of Winemaker of the Year in the last 10 years. At Raisin, we’ve also highlighted the emotional power of these wines in our book: ‘100 grands vins naturels d'émotion’.
Instead of dismissing natural wine with sweeping generalizations, the industry should work together to educate drinkers, helping them explore and appreciate what’s in their glass. At Raisin, we believe in fostering a positive and informed conversation about wine. Criticism is valid, but reducing an entire movement to a stereotype does little to support the broader culture of winemaking.
We encourage thoughtful dialogue over negativity and hope to see more care in how natural wine is discussed in the future.
