Gift cards in time for Christmas
New Year's Eve is approaching, and if you're late with your gifts, our gift cards are here to save the day: simple, effective and perfect for letting your loved ones choose their favorite vintages! 🎁🎄
Des Champagnes pour sublimer vos fêtes !
Make way for exceptional champagnes for your celebrations: Domaine Carré Frères, Élise Dechannes, Serge & Olivier Horiot, and many other talents...
Jura in the spotlight
This week, we're off to the terroirs of Poligny, in the Jura region, with four winemakers we love at Marée Haute: Valentin Morel, L'Oiseau Rôdeur, Thibaud Pierson & Novice!
OUR LATEST WINES
Inspiring winemakers for curious customers
What is natural wine?
🌿 Wines made as naturally as possible
🍇 Organically or biodynamically grown grapes
🤚 Hand-picked to respect the integrity of the grapes
❌ No added oenological products
🍷 Minimum doses of sulfites at bottling
OUR LATEST CHAMPAGNES
Come and meet us
Marée Haute is also a boutique on the island of Oléron, open all year round.
16 rue Raymond Grandsart, 17310 Saint-Pierre d'Oléron
Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:30 pm to 7:00 pm
They talk about us
WHAT IS NATURAL WINE?
Natural wine, or vin nature, is first and foremost a wine made as naturally as possible. It is made exclusively from organically or biodynamically grown grapes. Harvesting must be done by hand, to respect the integrity of the grapes. In the cellar, our winemakers ferment the wine naturally, using the indigenous yeasts naturally present in the grapes. No oenological products are added, no acidification, no enzymes or other synthetic chemicals. The wine is then aged in various containers (barrels, vats, amphorae, etc.) for the time needed to stabilize it, before being bottled. Like conventional wine, natural wine can be white, red, rosé or sparkling.
Natural wines are characterized by their digestibility, their drinkability and their desire to be more respectful of the environment and consumers (even though they contain alcohol).
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ORGANIC, BIODYNAMIC AND NATURAL WINES?
Several specifications correspond to these denominations. Although we often hear about sulfites, which are rightly accused of causing headaches, many other products can be used in the composition of so-called conventional wines.
Here's an overview of the different organic, biodynamic and natural specifications: Organic specifications (AB label) prohibit all use of synthetic chemicals in the vineyard and cellar. It does, however, allow for a few oenological crutches during vinification. Sulfites are tolerated up to 100mg/L for red wines and 150mg/L for whites. In biodynamic viticulture (Demeter or Biodyvin label), the winegrower not only works without synthetic chemicals, but also takes into account the lunar calendar for all the operations he carries out. He also uses biodynamic preparations (fermented horn dung, silica, etc.) to strengthen the vines. Overall, the winegrower seeks to integrate vine cultivation into a global environment. Sulfites can be as low as 70g/L for reds and 90g/L for whites.
For natural wines (Vin Méthode Nature label), the specifications specify the use of organic grapes, fermented naturally using indigenous yeasts. Natural wines receive no inputs during vinification or ageing. Only minimal doses of SO2 are permitted (30mg/L maximum), and these must be specified by the winemaker. No brutal filtration or alteration techniques are permitted.
We also find the Vins SAINS designation, which aims to ban the use of sulfites altogether.
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