Sip on the Wild Side: Get to Know "Natural" Wines at This Wine Festival on Sunday

(SPOT.ph) Maybe you're a total noob who only ever drinks at parties; maybe you're that connoisseur friend who can guess the grape, region, even the exact vintage of a bottle of wine just from taking a blind sip. Either way, we know wines aren't all the same—and it's about time you acquainted yourself with natural wines, or conventional wine's unfiltered, less-refined—yet in its own way divine—cousin. Here's one great way to dive into the said world: add the Manila Natural Wine Fiesta happening in Makati on April 16 to this weekend's itinerary!

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Wine lovers, learn about (and taste!) natural wine at this wine event in Makati this weekend:

A collaboration between PH-based natural wine importers and distributors Bombvinos, Good Morning Wines, Gran Hacienda Wines, Some Love, and Supernatural Wine, the Manila Natural Wine Fiesta is the first natural-wine focused event in Manila with over two dozen wines you can sample, slash purchase full glasses and bottles of, from countries that include Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Japan, Portugal, and Spain. Talk about a great avenue to learn more about the wine style... or just drink, really. (No judgment.) This takes place on Sunday, April 16, at Pasong Tamo Extension's The Alley at Karrivin, with tickets going for P1,600 per head. Toyo Eatery will also be peddling nibbles you can purchase to go with your beverages.

What Actually Is Natural Wine, Anyway?

We know what you're thinking: aren't all wines considered "natural" given that they're made with grapes? Depends on how you look at it—there's no official or regulated set of characteristics as to what counts as "natural." Either way, what's agreed upon is how natural wines—also called raw or low-intervention wines—use handpicked (versus machine-harvested) grapes not sprayed with pesticides or herbicides. Unlike conventional wines, they do away with the additives (e.g. sugar, egg whites, and so on) and added yeast (it's all natural fermentation at play here). They also use little to no sulfites—which are usually added to conventionals to keep the taste consistent from bottling to when you drink. Oh yes, these wines are alive and kicking.

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As you can imagine, the resulting wine is a different beast from conventional versions. Natural wines tend to taste stronger in the funk department—and not in a bad way. We're talking a little more tangy and fermented-tasting, almost like beer or even kombucha. It can look cloudier and you might even see sediments, it being unfiltered and all. Granted, it's not for everyone—but we're all for its less-polished, more raw and exuberant character. At the very least, it'll help you better appreciate how the wine-making process affects flavor. More knowledge is never a bad thing.

The Manila Natural Wine Fiesta will be at The Alley at Karrivin, 2316 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City. For tickets, fill out their order form. For more information, check out the Instagram pages of Bombvinos, Good Morning Wines, Gran Hacienda Wines, Some Love, and Supernatural Wine.

Editor's note: photo of wine bottles in main image are for illustrative purposes only.

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