The Team’s Favourite Natural Wines & Ciders of 2023
This list represents some of the most memorable and exciting bottles we’ve opened this year. It’s always such an enjoyable end-of-year task to think about the many hundreds that we’ve tried and the many dozens that we’ve absolutely loved, to finally whittle down to a Christmas 12.
The twelve bottles below are ones we thought you’d like to know about if you’re not already aware of these growers and makers - all excellent and worth your investigation. We’ve added cider (or rather, perry) into the mix this year too, since it’s a big part of what we enjoy serving at Futtle.
Just get in touch if you’d like any help putting together a wine or cider present for someone - we’re always very happy to match great wines with great people.
Pineau d'Aunis
A lovely example of this grape which we’ve become quite obsessed with. A mix of fruit from young and old vines. Soft texture, herbal fruit with the classic peppery pineau d’aunis finish. Really delicious.
Muscat, Mauzac
An aromatic blend of one our favourite grapes (Muscat) and one we’re just getting to know (Mauzac). Macerated on the skins for 2 weeks. Lovely, rounded full fruit on the palate, lifted with just the right level of acidity. Bright, fresh and arresting in a brilliant way.
Carignan
The focus here is bright, juicy fruit. Made from the free-run juice from two separate fibreglass tanks of organic carignan grapes (one whole bunch, the other whole bunch/ destemmed). By two veteran winemakers, Stephane Planche and Charles Dagand, who have collaborated on this separate project (named Karnage) to fill the gaps left in years where their harvests have been bad. This wine is big, juicy and excellent.
Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay
Winemakers Nic and Dan Ham visited us earlier in the year with their family at our Spots on my Apples Festival. Not only are they the nicest pair, they are also making some of the UK’s most exciting wines. No end-of-year list would be complete without them! Field Notes 3 is a blend of organic Pinot Blanc and a small amount of Chardonnay. It’s a textural white, with a lovely, lively acidity.
We had to put this in as it’s not like anything we’ve had before. A one-off, very special dessert Perry from Somerset’s finest cidermaking pair, Sam & Beccy Leach. Rich and sweet, but with light acidity which keeps it fresh, rather than cloying. Wild-keeved and fermented in an old oak cask. “Like poached prunes and sweet sherry”, according to Wilding. We concur and think this might well be a perfect pudding bottle.
Zweigelt
A really beautiful wine. Big fruit, intense spiciness and a slight salinity. No wonder this has been on our list for so long. The Zweigelt vines that produce this wine go pretty much straight into schist rock with very little topsoil, which has led winemaker Luka Zeichmann to say “This wine is no longer about the grape variety itself, but more about how the soil conveys itself through it.” A very sophisticated bottle. You will love it.
Palomino, Doña Blanca
With 60 days of skin contact, this is a newer release from a Futtle favourite, Bodega La Senda. A real purist, winemaker Diego Losada is someone who really embraces what it means to be a natural wine maker. This bottling is a great example of his craft. Rich, expressive but still fresh and alive. Don’t miss this one.
Procanico (Trebbiano)
The harvest for this bottling is separated in two - half goes into fibreglass for fermentation, the other half left with skins in stainless steel. The wine stays on the lees for five months, no temperature control, and is then married for two months prior to bottling. It’s aromatic, well-balanced, nuanced - a beautiful orange wine.
Pineau d’Aunis
Lucy’s favourite. Fermented in whole bunches and then aged in oak for two years. “Pinot-esque notes of berries, spice and forest floor”, wow, this is amazing. Balance, depth, nuance - it’s got it all. Great for drinking now, or keeping to one side for a later date.
Long Bois, Antricotin
A rare thing - a dry, still perry. Made from french pears, grown in Herefordshire, then metamorphosed into something very elegant and refined by Susanna and James at Little Pomona. Wild-fermented, followed by 9 months in third-use oak casks. The resulting liquid is pale, clear with lovely aromas of meadow flowers and freshly-cut pears.
11. Domaine Durrmann, Zegwur (Alsace, France)
Gewurztraminer
A team favourite, so although it’s featured before in our recommendations, it’s here again. 100% Gewurztraminer, aged in stainless steel and left unfiltered. Like all of the bottles from Domaine Durrmann, this represents everything that makes natural wine so amazing. It’s one you have to try if you haven’t already.
12. Thierry Hensault, Sanguin (Loire, France)
Pineau d’Aunis
A final Pineau d’Aunis for the list, because (like we said before) this grape has become an obsession of ours and we think you’ll love it too! This is a really excellent take on a Pineau d’Aunis. The fruit is taken from young vines, then fermented in whole bunches for three weeks and pressed to old barrels to rest until the spring. Light, bright, fragrant with a finish like pink peppercorns. Enlivening!
