Now that Spring is upon us heralding the end of the endless winter mist we thought it time to put together a selection of natural wines fit for the Season. Light, bright, fresh, aromatic, sensual: these are the bottles we reach for at this time of year.
Chenin, but no buttery oak, this is all done in steel tank to keep that citrus twang just as clean as a whistle. Green apple and pear with some nice zippy white peach. The Baby Bandito range offers some crazy value. Find out more.
RegionBandits Kloof, Eendekuil & Piketberg, Swartland, South Africa
GrapesChenin Blanc
VineyardUncertified Organic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
Another fabulous small-scale, biodynamically-farmed natural wine from the home soils of England. It's a scene that numbers a dedicated handful of growers that is gaining more momentum with each passing vintage. This pretty field-blend fizz is a great example. Believe! Find out more.
Electric Touraine pet nat from a producer with a deft hand for the style. A refreshing balance of zippy green apple and lemon citrus, opening to ripe pear and melon. The overall character is unmistakably Loire and makes for a note-perfect aperitif.
Find out more.
RegionTouraine, Loire, France
GrapesMenu Pineau & Chardonnay
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
Inky Malbec (the eponymous Côt) that is much brighter and crunchier than most would expect of the grape. As always with Mikaël's wines, there is a noticeable mineral imprint; that hard-to-define aspect of wet stones or patio paving following rain on a hot day. Find out more.
RegionTouraine, Loire, France
GrapesMalbec
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
Elisa is back with the 2022 iteration of this Wayward favourite. From a hot vintage this is a deeper, riper Gamay that nonetheless retains its delicacy and verve. Dusty spices, black cherry fruits, stony minerals and elegant, fine-grained tannins. Just delicious. Find out more.
RegionChénas, Beaujolais, France
GrapesGamay
VineyardUncertified Organic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
Fabio's entry-point Catarratto that blends grapes from both his sandy coastal vines and those from the valley, further inland. Sharp-edged and linear, with zesty white peach and apricot stone fruits cut through with a long beam of acidity. A wine that speaks of the ocean breeze and rolling hills of western Sicily. Find out more.
RegionMarsala, Sicily, Italy
GrapesCatarratto
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
An impressive example of this elevated cru. The texture of the wine is beautifully soft and silky, with integrated, lightly gripping tannic structure. An elegant Beaujolais that bears the complexity of its old-vine origin. Find out more.
RegionChénas, Beaujolais, France
GrapesGamay
VineyardOrganic (in conversion)
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
A fresh, young-vine Bourgueil with plenty of bright red cherry fruit, herbaceous capsicum aromas and dark chocolate bitters in the finish. Plush, bright and an incredibly versatile wine for the table. Find out more.
RegionBourgueil, Loire, France
GrapesCabernet Franc
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
Like all of Mikaël's wines from the dry 2022 vintage, there is a chiselled structure and profound minerality, the vines having reached deep down to the limestone bedrock for nutrients. White peach and spices with taut acidity and a delicate, honeyed quality, neatly balanced out with a pronounced salty minerals. A wine of precision and poise. Find out more.
RegionTouraine, Loire, France
GrapesChenin Blanc
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
A serious wine with a silly name - Couilles d'Anes translates as 'donkey balls', a colloquial term coined by the local vigneron to describe the unusual black stones that can be found dotting the vineyard soils in certain locations. A delightfully aromatic vintage, bright cherry and bramble fruits meld with a violet perfume in the glass. Find out more.
RegionTouraine, Loire, France
GrapesCôt
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
A restrained, nuanced wine made with 100% Menu Pineau, grown over alluvial limestone gravel. A pale green-gold in the glass, with shy citrus aromas, on the palate there is a delicate balance of pear and green melon, softened by a subtle touch of barrel influence. Find out more.
RegionTouraine, Loire, France
GrapesMenu Pineau
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
The taste of Garnacha when grown at altitude over granitic soils in the mountains surrounding the city of Madrid. Hot days and cool nights impart freshness and perfume. Find out more.
RegionSierra de Gredos, Castella y Leon, Spain
GrapesGarnacha
VineyardOrganic & Biodynamic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
We've often likened this incredible Lambrusco-style sparkling red to a liquid summer pudding; there is the tart attack of forest fruits, but offset by a creamy, lactic element. As you'd hope from this style, the tannins grip keenly and there is an iron-y, sanguine quality to the dark wine. Find out more.
RegionQuattro Castella, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
GrapesLambrusco di Montericco, Malbo Gentile, Lambrusco Grasparossa & Sgavetta
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, no additional sulphites
A real gateway wine for us here at Wayward, and one that taught us that Nebbiolo isn't all about Barolo and Barbaresco. Lithe and elegant with nimble red cherry fruits and a charred rose petal perfume. Find out more.
RegionValtellina, Lombardy, Italy
GrapesNebbiolo
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
Fruit forward, approachable Côtes du Rhône named after the local Northern wind ‘Mistral’. The wine is packed with spicy cherries and raspberries sitting nicely beside silky tannins. Find out more.
RegionOrange, Côtes du Rhône, France
GrapesGrenache, Syrah, Carignan & Vaccarese
VineyardOrganic (uncertified)
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites
Less steely and with softer edges than his more classical staple 'La Pente de Chavigny', this feels open and expressive, but never anything other than laser-beam linear. Juicy green apple, elderflower and ripe pear come together in a salivating meld, with a line of raw lemon citrus cutting it all through - without intervention, none of Mikaël’s whites complete malolactic, giving the wine some good vibrancy and edge. Find out more.
RegionTouraine, Loire, France
GrapesSauvignon Blanc
VineyardOrganic
CellarFermented with native yeasts, unfiltered & unfined, minimal additional sulphites