Walk into any hip wine bar in New York, Los Angeles, or Portland and you'll find a wine list heavy with natural wines — cloudy, funky, often orange, frequently from producers you've never heard of, and almost always described in terms that sound more like a manifesto than a tasting note. "Low intervention." "Nothing added, nothing removed." "Alive." "Honest."

Natural wine is one of the most talked-about — and most misunderstood — movements in the wine world today. Its advocates describe it as a return to authentic winemaking, a rejection of industrial practices, and a way of making wine that expresses terroir more purely than conventional methods. Its critics call it a marketing term, a cover for flawed wines, and a movement that prioritizes ideology over quality.

The truth, as usual, is more complicated than either camp admits. This guide cuts through the noise and gives you a clear-eyed look at what natural wine actually is, how it differs from organic and biodynamic wine, what the best American natural wine producers are doing, and how to find bottles you'll actually enjoy.

Here's the first thing to understand: "natural wine" has no legal definition. Unlike "organic" or "biodynamic," which are regulated certifications with specific requirements, "natural wine" is an informal term used by producers, importers, and retailers to describe a loose set of practices.

The core principles that most natural wine producers share:

In the vineyard:

• Organic or biodynamic farming (no synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers)
• Hand harvesting
• Low or no irrigation
• Minimal intervention in vine management

In the winery:

• Native (wild) yeast fermentation rather than commercial yeast
• No or minimal added sulfites (sulfur dioxide, a preservative)
• No fining or filtration, or minimal use of these techniques
• No or minimal use of additives (acid, tannin, enzymes, etc.)
• Minimal use of new oak

The philosophy behind these practices is that wine should be made with as little intervention as possible — that the winemaker's job is to guide the grapes to wine, not to engineer a product. Natural wine producers believe that intervention in the winery masks terroir, homogenizes wine, and produces something less authentic than what the vineyard can express on its own.

This is where a lot of confusion arises. Organic, biodynamic, and natural wine are related but distinct concepts.

Organic wine is a legal certification focused on farming practices. Organic vineyards don't use synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. But an organic winery can still use commercial yeasts, add sulfites, fine and filter the wine, and use other conventional winemaking techniques. Organic wine is about how the grapes are grown, not how the wine is made.

Biodynamic wine goes further than organic, treating the farm as a self-sustaining ecosystem and following a planting calendar based on lunar and cosmic cycles. Like organic, biodynamic certification (from Demeter or Biodyvin) covers farming practices, not winemaking. A biodynamic winery can still make wine in a conventional way.

Natural wine is primarily about winemaking practices — minimal intervention in the cellar. Many natural wine producers also farm organically or biodynamically, but not all. And many organic and biodynamic producers do not consider themselves natural wine producers.

The key distinction: organic and biodynamic are certified, regulated terms. Natural wine is not. Anyone can call their wine "natural" without meeting any specific requirements.

The most contentious issue in natural wine is sulfites. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) is a preservative that has been used in winemaking for centuries. It prevents oxidation, inhibits spoilage bacteria, and helps wine age gracefully. Virtually all conventional wine contains added sulfites; the legal limit in the United States is 350 parts per million (ppm), though most wines contain far less.

Natural wine producers typically add little or no sulfites. The argument is that sulfites mask terroir, cause headaches (a claim that is scientifically contested — most headaches attributed to wine are caused by alcohol, not sulfites), and are unnecessary if the wine is made carefully.

The counterargument is that without sulfites, wine is more vulnerable to oxidation and spoilage, which is why many natural wines are cloudy, funky, or volatile — characteristics that some people find charming and others find off-putting.

The truth is that sulfites are a tool, and like any tool, they can be used well or badly. A winemaker who adds minimal sulfites at bottling to protect a well-made wine is doing something different from a winemaker who adds sulfites at every stage of production to compensate for poor farming or sloppy winemaking. The best natural wine producers use minimal sulfites because they don't need them — their wines are healthy and stable without them.

Natural wine has a reputation for being funky — cloudy, volatile, sometimes smelling of barnyard, vinegar, or cider. This reputation is partly deserved and partly unfair.

The funkiness comes from several sources:

Volatile acidity (VA): A small amount of acetic acid (vinegar) is present in all wine. In natural wine, without sulfites to inhibit acetic acid bacteria, VA can be higher. A little VA adds complexity; too much makes wine taste like vinegar.

Brettanomyces (Brett): A wild yeast that produces earthy, barnyard, and leather aromas. In small amounts, Brett adds complexity to wine; in large amounts, it dominates and can make wine smell like a horse stable. Natural wines, which rely on wild yeasts, are more susceptible to Brett.

Oxidation: Without sulfites, natural wines can oxidize more easily, producing nutty, sherry-like aromas. Some producers embrace this; others see it as a flaw.

Cloudiness: Natural wines are often unfiltered and unfined, which means they can be cloudy. This is purely aesthetic — cloudiness doesn't affect flavor — but it can be off-putting to people accustomed to crystal-clear wine.

The best natural wines have none of these flaws — they're clean, vibrant, and expressive. The worst natural wines use "natural" as an excuse for poor winemaking. Learning to tell the difference is the key to enjoying natural wine.

Orange wine is one of the most distinctive products of the natural wine movement. It's made from white grapes that are fermented with extended skin contact — the same process used to make red wine. The skin contact extracts tannins, color (ranging from pale gold to deep amber), and phenolic compounds that give orange wine its distinctive texture and flavor.

Orange wine has ancient roots — the technique originated in the Republic of Georgia, where wine has been made in clay amphorae (qvevri) with extended skin contact for 8,000 years. It was revived in the 1990s by Italian producers in Friuli and Slovenia, and it has since spread to natural wine producers around the world, including America.

American orange wine is still a small category, but it's growing rapidly. California producers like Donkey & Goat, Broc Cellars, and Scholium Project are making some of the most interesting orange wines in the country.

What does orange wine taste like? The flavor profile depends on the grape variety and the length of skin contact, but common characteristics include:

• Stone fruit (apricot, peach, nectarine)
• Dried fruit (dried apricot, raisin)
• Nuts (walnut, almond)
• Tea and dried herbs
• Tannic texture (unusual for a white wine)
• Savory, umami notes

Orange wine is one of the most food-friendly wine styles — the tannins and savory notes make it work with dishes that would overwhelm a conventional white wine.

Pétillant naturel, or pét-nat, is a lightly sparkling wine made by the méthode ancestrale — the wine is bottled before fermentation is complete, and the carbon dioxide produced by the remaining fermentation creates the bubbles. Unlike Champagne, which undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle, pét-nat has only one fermentation.

The result is a wine that is lightly fizzy, often cloudy, and typically lower in alcohol than Champagne. Pét-nat can be made from any grape variety, and it comes in white, rosé, and red styles.

American pét-nat has exploded in popularity over the past decade. California producers like Broc Cellars, Scholium Project, and Donkey & Goat are making excellent examples, as are producers in Oregon, New York, and Virginia.

Donkey & Goat (Berkeley) — One of California's pioneering natural wine producers, making wines from organically farmed grapes with minimal intervention. Their orange wines and pét-nats are among the best in America.

Broc Cellars (Berkeley) — Chris Brockway makes some of California's most exciting natural wines, including excellent Carignan, Valdiguié, and pét-nat from organically farmed vineyards.

Scholium Project (Suisun Valley) — Abe Schoener's wines are among the most intellectually interesting in California — unconventional, sometimes challenging, always thought-provoking.

Arnot-Roberts (Healdsburg) — Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts make wines of extraordinary elegance from organically farmed vineyards across California. Their Trousseau Gris and Ribolla Gialla are particularly distinctive.

Dirty & Rowdy (Napa) — Hardy Wallace makes some of California's most compelling Mourvèdre and Semillon from organically farmed vineyards.

Jolie-Laide (Sonoma) — Scott Schultz makes wines from obscure varieties — Trousseau Gris, Gamay, Carignan — with minimal intervention and maximum charm.

Bow & Arrow (Portland) — Scott Frank makes wines from organically farmed Willamette Valley grapes with minimal intervention. His Gamay and Melon de Bourgogne are particularly excellent.

Teutonic Wine Company (Portland) — Barnaby Tuttle makes wines from organically farmed grapes with a focus on aromatic varieties — Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris — in a natural style.

Kelley Fox Wines (Portland) — Kelly Fox makes some of Oregon's most elegant and terroir-driven Pinot Noir with minimal intervention.

Channing Daughters (Long Island) — One of the most adventurous wineries in New York, making wines from a wide range of varieties with minimal intervention. Their orange wines are among the best on the East Coast.

Bloomer Creek (Finger Lakes) — Kim Engle and Debra Bermingham make wines from organically farmed Finger Lakes grapes with minimal intervention. Their Riesling and Cabernet Franc are outstanding.

The key to enjoying natural wine is finding producers who prioritize quality alongside philosophy. The best natural wine producers make wines that are clean, vibrant, and expressive — wines that happen to be made with minimal intervention, not wines that are interesting only because of their ideology.

Start with reputable importers. In the natural wine world, the importer is often a better guide than the producer name. Importers like Louis/Dressner, Zev Rovine, Jenny & François, and Rosenthal Wine Merchant have built their reputations on finding natural wine producers who make genuinely excellent wine.

Ask your wine shop. A good wine shop with a natural wine section will have staff who can guide you to bottles that match your taste. Tell them what you like — do you want something clean and fresh, or are you open to something more funky and challenging?

Start with pét-nat. Pét-nat is one of the most approachable natural wine styles — it's light, fizzy, and fun, and it's hard to find a bad one. It's a great entry point for natural wine skeptics.

Be open to cloudiness. Don't be put off by a cloudy wine — it's a sign of minimal filtration, not a flaw. Give it a gentle swirl and taste it before judging.

Know when to send it back. A wine that smells strongly of vinegar, nail polish remover, or wet cardboard is flawed, not "natural." Natural wine should be vibrant and alive, not oxidized or spoiled. Don't let ideology override your palate.

Natural wine is not a fad — it's a genuine movement that has produced some of the most interesting and delicious wines in America. The best natural wine producers are making wines of extraordinary quality and character, wines that express their terroir with unusual clarity and that reward attention and curiosity.

But natural wine is also not a guarantee of quality. The term is unregulated, and it can be used to describe wines that are genuinely excellent and wines that are simply flawed. The key is to find producers who combine a commitment to minimal intervention with a commitment to quality — and to trust your palate over any ideology.

The best natural wines are not interesting because they're natural. They're interesting because they're delicious.

Related reading: American Wine Production Methods · Biodynamic and Organic Wine in America · What Is Terroir? · How to Taste Wine