Grape – Viognier

Most conventional wine makers will use animal products for fining their wine, such as egg white or casein. Fining being the process of removing the fine particulate matter after the fermentation process such as yeast cells and proteins, to make the wine crystal clear.

Natural wine makers on the other hand eschew intervention and strive for as little manipulation in the wine making process as possible. They will therefore avoid filtration and fining and with it the need for any animal products, resulting in vegan friendly wines.

Therefore you will often find natural wines have a noticeable amount of sediment in the bottle, or appear hazy or cloudy. Natural winemakers tend to use the process of racking as the sole method of removing as much of the sediment from fermentation as possible. The wine will be allowed to settle in its fermentation vessel so as much sediment as possible settles at the bottom. The resulting clearer wine is then pumped to a new vessel with the sediment left behind.

Patricia & Rémi Bonneton
La Tangente 'Metisse' 2023

The darker juice from the Syrah pulling more towards a rosé in appearance, but with a peachy sunset tint from the macerated Viognier, it remains a hard wine to categorise, but also begs the question, what does that matter? Worked in this way the Syrah gives some gummy red fruits to frame the herbal, anise character of the Viognier, which is extracted to leave a wonderfully fine-grained, delicate tannic profile. Find out more.

  • Region Étables, Ardèche, France
  • Grapes Syrah & Viognier
  • Vineyard Organic
  • Cellar Fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
£33.50

Quantity

Patricia & Rémi Bonneton
La Tangente 'Ho'oponopono' 2022

A maceration of Viognier, Marsanne & Roussanne grown over limestone, acquired from the Gard in the south. A powerfully structured wine, balancing a relatively low gravity with bold, mouth-coating tannins. A hazy, sandy gold in the glass, there is an abundance of intense apricot fruits with a peach iced tea-like quality that lends real dryness to the palate as it tails into a long, herbal finish. Find out more.

  • Region Étables, Ardèche, France
  • Grapes Viognier, Marsanne & Roussanne
  • Vineyard Organic
  • Cellar Fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
£33.50

Quantity

Le Mazel
Cuvée Mias 2023 MAGNUM

Magnum bottling. A dry, herbaceous Viognier with fresh, invigorating acids and a sharp, well-defined profile. White peach and fragrant bay laurel tail into the bitters, spice and salt of the long finish. A nourishing wine for the table that delivers so much purity and refreshment. Find out more.

  • Region Valvignères, Ardèche, France
  • Grapes Viognier
  • Vineyard Organic
  • Cellar Fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
£55

Quantity

Petite Nature
Sorcières 2022

This is resolutely a red wine, despite 50% of the grapes being white, such is the influence of the Syrah. The Chardonnay and Viognier keep things delightfully silky and fluid, but the red grape provides a huge aromatic lift, that somehow seems to carry itself through into the palate, which is dense with dark blackcurrant fruits and juicy, saline black olive. Find out more.

  • Region Quintenas, Ardèche, France
  • Grapes Syrah, Viognier & Chardonnay
  • Vineyard Organic
  • Cellar Fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
£41

Quantity