The New Naturally-Made Wine I’m Obsessed With

Alright guys – let’s talk about WINE. I’ve gone through quite the evolution with my wine drinking habits over the years – from starting out drinking the cheapest sweetest boxed wine I could find in college, to actually appreciating quality wine while studying abroad in Italy, to now diving into the world of clean and natural wines.

Most of us know the importance of eating high-quality, minimally processed foods and avoiding chemical additives and pesticides in our diets, but often we forget to think about these things when it comes to wine.  This is where naturally-made wine comes in. Now obviously wine is still wine, it’s never going to be a ‘health food’, and I’ll never be encouraging someone to increase their alcohol consumption –  always consume responsibly and clear your consumption with your doctor. 

So what makes a wine ‘clean’ or ‘natural’?

While there’s no regulated definition, you can think of clean and naturally made wine as one with minimal interventions – both in the farming and the winemaking process.

Think little to no pesticides or herbicides, sustainable farming practices, and little to no additives in the winemaking process. Basically, letting mother nature and the magic of fermentation do their thing.

Wait, they put WHAT in wine?

When I started getting into natural wines, my next thought was – wait, so what’s an ‘unnatural’ wine? Isn’t all wine just made from grapes?

Of all the different kinds of alcohol, wine definitely has the perception of being the most natural. When we think of wine we think of pretty vineyards, lots of grapes, a little fermentation, and boom, you have wine – right? 

Well, unfortunately, that’s not always how it’s done today.

Pressure from consumers for a consistent taste, and an eye on their business’s bottom line, means many winemakers have taken more and more of a wine’s taste out of nature’s hands and into their own.

Winemakers can legally add 70+ additives to wine to help improve taste, consistency, even color and sugar content. Winemakers don’t have to disclose most of these on the label, except for a few specific chemicals. 

You can check out the official list of accepted wine additives here – they range from added sugar, added yeast, added color from juice, added sulfites, even egg whites.  

Not all of these are bad, but they’re definitely not all good. Especially when it comes to avoiding a hangover, the fewer additives the better.

Ready for some good news? Awesome companies like Usual Wines are making getting clean wines SO accessible! Ever since I visited Usual’s Pop Up Rosé Garden in SF a few weeks ago, I’ve been obsessed.   

Why I’m Obsessed with Usual Wines

1. They’re naturally made ­– Usual Wines uses sustainable farming practices on California-grown grapes, and they don’t use any weird additives – no pesticides, no added sulfites. They’re all about letting the grapes do their thing and letting the product shine.

2. They have ZERO sugar – *one more time for the people in the back* – ZERO grams of sugar! Guys, this is incredible. Depending on the varietal, most wines contain varying degrees of natural sugar, and many mass-market wines add additional sugar, which only adds to your headache the next day. Plus being able to enjoy a glass of wine (or two) without spiking your blood sugar means you’re won’t be throwing off a low-carb / low-sugar diet. As someone who is hypersensitive to sugar in my diet, and especially to sugar in alcohol, this has been a game-changer.

3. They come in single-serve bottles – Usual Wines packaging ensures you’re getting a fresh glass each time, and never puts you at risk of wasting wine. This is HUGE for me. Being single and living alone, opening an entire bottle of wine when I just want a casual glass with dinner (or when watching Real Housewives TBH) just doesn’t make sense. Especially if I’m investing a little more money for clean and natural wine, I don’t want to waste a drop. Usual Wines bottles completed solved this for me with their single-serve (not to mention adorable) bottles. Not mention how CUTE these bottles are –  I’m already planning to use the Usual Rosé and Brut for some upcoming bachelorette parties and bridal showers.    

Ready to try Usual Wines?

You can order Usual Wines by the case online (free shipping!) for $8 a bottle. The rosé is my favorite for summer, but the red is incredible, and Usual’s latest release – a zero-sugar sparkling wine is really knocked it out of the park 

• Red
• Rosé
• Brut (Sparkling) 
• Holiday Pack – The perfect holiday gift (to yourself or friends & family) – this pack includes a mix of all 3 wines (Red, Rosé, and Brut) so you can try them all! Cheers!

Have you tried clean and natural wines? Let me know your favs in the comments!

*This post was created in partnership with Usual Wines*

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