What Is Natural Wine? Natural vs. Organic vs. Biodynamic

"Natural," "organic," and "biodynamic" wine are frequently discussed as if synonymous, but each describes a distinct approach with different actual requirements.

Organic Wine

Organic wine has the most formally regulated definition among the three, generally requiring grapes grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, certified by an official governing body. In the US, "made with organic grapes" and "organic wine" carry slightly different regulatory requirements, with the latter also restricting added sulfites more strictly.

Biodynamic Wine

Biodynamic farming goes beyond organic principles, incorporating a holistic farming philosophy developed by Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s that treats the vineyard as a self-sustaining ecosystem, following a specific lunar and astrological planting/harvesting calendar alongside required organic practices — a more comprehensive (and to some critics, more esoteric) approach than organic farming alone.

Natural Wine

Natural wine has no single official legal definition, making it the least formally regulated of the three terms. It generally refers to wine made with minimal intervention: organically or biodynamically farmed grapes, wild (native) yeast fermentation rather than commercial cultured yeast, and minimal to no added sulfites or other processing aids.

Why "Natural" Is the Least Defined

Because there's no enforced legal standard, "natural wine" claims vary considerably in how strictly they're actually followed from producer to producer — some natural wine associations have developed their own certification standards, but adoption isn't universal, making the term more of a philosophy and community identity than a strictly regulated category.

Flavor Differences

Natural wine in particular can show noticeably different characteristics from conventional wine — sometimes cloudier in appearance, with funkier, more variable, sometimes intentionally imperfect flavor profiles that some drinkers find exciting and others find inconsistent, a genuine point of active debate within the wine world.

Which Should You Try?

If you want verified, regulated environmental farming practices: organic wine offers the clearest legal standard. If you're interested in a more holistic, philosophy-driven approach: biodynamic wine. If you're curious about minimal-intervention winemaking and don't mind some stylistic unpredictability: natural wine offers the most genuinely different drinking experience of the three, precisely because it's the least standardized.