Ciello Rosso Nero D'Avola Italy

100% organically grown Nero D’Avola grapes from the North Western corner or Sicily. 15 year old vines on a south-east facing slope, un-fined and un-filtered. It’s bright and fresh, exuding juicy dark plums, faint cocoa and anise, with an earthy aura and savoury finish. Medium-bodied and deliciously slurpable!

What is natural wine? Natural wines can be considered more of a concept as opposed to a strict set of rules and regulations in Australia. It’s not new, it is actually extremely old! Essentially, it is taking unadulterated grape juice and letting it ferment in its natural state, just as was done in centuries past. The concept is very little winemaking interference which can include, no added yeast, often handpicked grapes, no spraying or herbicides, no additives like oak flavour and no fining agents or acid. Also, the philosophy includes little to no sulphur (preservative) addition or at least a very small amount compared to conventional wine making amongst many other winemaking points. Some people think conventional wines and the liberal use of sulphur is like a snapshot of a wine in time and can make the wine a bit “dead.” The natural wines have plenty of personality and liveliness to them. Some are a bit more alternative like letting white wines ferment on skins giving both colour and texture or the use of lesser known varieties like Zibbibo or a wild mix of many varieties not often seen together.

Why is it a discussion? Natural wines have been emerging as a “new” thing over the past few years. To be honest, our Harris Farm sommelier, has been hesitant to bring them in stores as there have been some arguably faulty wines out there under the guise of the “natural wine” movement umbrella. However, these wines have been getting better and better and with a fine-tuned palate especially used to vet on your behalf, we’ve been finding some pretty exciting stuff! We are still only selecting those wines that are confidently fault free, balanced, great value and ultimately delicious! Many of the winemakers in this movement do not want to be pigeonholed and known as good natural wine producers, but rather good wine producers, period. We agree that this selection is simply delicious wines that speak for themselves and have merit as a great wine without any caveats. We think this selection is a great way to get you started on your natural wine journey. Have fun, be open, explore and enjoy.