An awkward question is posed, “hey...there...I'm looking for a ...natural wine...something funky...that isn’t going to cost over twenty five dollars?”

If you are like me, then your normal speaking voice is ridden with pauses so as to humbly point out a lack of certainty. Luckily, the people at Irving Bottle are prepared for this. When it comes to the new movement of natural wines, one could say the whole movement should be speaking in such a tone. A movement that is clearly going to gain steam in 2019, natural wines do not come with a specific certification one has to pay for necessarily, like a wine that is certified organic or biodynamic for example and thus, the definition of natural is open to interpretation.

While the question of what makes a wine natural is clearly an interesting one, another great question is: why is everybody freaking out over natural wines? There are several good answers to that question. You could answer that question by mentioning all the nods to minimalism that comes with natural wine like the lack of or minimal use of sulfites, lack of advanced technology, or lack of filtration. Another way you could answer that question would be to mention how natural wine uses more old school techniques in the wine making process. Lets not forget all the cool labels they come with, boutique distributors, stores, and restaurants all dedicated to natural wine. However, none of these are the best reasons to freak out about natural wine.

What is the best reason? The unique funky taste. When I awkwardly asked an employee at Irving Bottle, located on...Irving Ave (who would have guessed???) in Bushwick Brooklyn, if they had a funky yet affordable natural red, I was delighted to find out that this neighborhood gem did indeed carry an array of such wines. The wine they suggested to me was the Coup de Canon produced by Gregory Leclerc of Domaine Chahut et Prodiges located in the Loire Valley.