Natural wine has been around for centuries but has only recently taken the mainstream spirit world by storm. Akin to the general Italian principle of eating whole and minimally processed foods from the earth, natural wine sings a similar tune.
Inspired by his Italian family’s additive-free wine, Dante DeCicco, co-founded the Natural Wine Shoppe, an online, direct-to-consumer wine retail store, last January. His pursuit of seeking out other low intervention wines and connecting with the winemakers who share his passion and philosophy continue to nurture the store’s uniquely extensive portfolio.
What is natural wine?
We loosely define it as wine that uses grapes that are grown using organic or biodynamic farming practices, which are then handpicked and fermented using only native yeasts found on the vine. The wine is then bottled with little to no added sulfur without fining or filtering.
Why did you start The Natural Wine Shoppe?
It all started when I first fell in love with my Italian family wine that was made without anything added or removed during the winemaking process. Seeking more outside this, I began discovering winemakers that follow this similar method. It was very difficult to obtain the wines I wanted from a single source. I found a deep passion to share my findings with people that haven’t experienced natural wines. This is when I got together with my partner, Greg Edsall, and launched The Natural Wine Shoppe to help make these wine experiences more widely available.
Greg Edsall and Dante DeCicco, co-founders of The Natural Wine Shoppe
How do you select the wines that you sell?
We are obsessive when sourcing new wines. We are watching what these winemakers are doing all along in the process, from the grapes to the cellar. We anticipate new releases well before they even enter the states. Once they arrive, we get together with our distribution partners and taste-test every wine that comes in to ensure it fits in with our portfolio.
What topic is trending in natural wine that people should know about?
Right now, Orange wine, or a white wine that is made like a red wine, is a very hot topic. Instead of crushing and then discarding the crushed grape skins as is done in white winemaking, orange wines get their distinctive color from the amount of time the juice spends fermenting with the skins. Depending on duration of contact time, the resulting wine will display an array of color, from a lighter yellow to a more vibrant and deep orange hue.
What are a few great “entry” or very drinkable natural wines for first-timers?
For someone just getting into it, I would recommend trying a variety of wines to get a better sense of the different flavor notes and aromas. Cantina Marilina Fedelie - Bianco Frizzante and Lammidia - Miscela Rosato are a great place to start. They’re very approachable, drinkable, and delicious entry wines.
Do certain natural wines pair better with different foods? Are there any natural wines that are universally delicious with all foods?
Absolutely! There are complexities found in certain wines that work well with specific foods. Lately, I’ve been enjoying orange wine in seafood dishes. I recently made pan-seared branzino over leeks and wild mushrooms. I deglazed the pan with some Le Coste - Ripazzo Bianco, a skin contact orange wine. I reduced it down, added some butter, fresh basil and parsley. It made a wonderful pan sauce to compliment the branzino.
Gianmarco Antonuzzi from Le Coste
Give us your top pairing recommendations for the following Italian dishes:
Salumi + cheese plate: Le Coste – Rosso di Gaetano, a light body red blend of Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah that has wonderful balance and red fruit tones.
Pizza: Poggio delle Baccanti- Gragnano (2018), notoriously labeled as “pizza wine,” this bubbly, funky aglianico and piedirosso blend makes tomatoes, cheese and crust come together in perfect harmony.
Bucatini all’Amatriciana or Pappardelle Bolognese: I Vini Di Giovanni - Il Chiaretto Rosso, a light and approachable wine but not without lacking the backbone to handle the acidity of tomato sauce.
Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe or Risotto: Lammidia - Bianchetto. This white wine from Abruzzo has a subtle lemon flavor that will help brighten your white sauce dishes.
Bistecca alla Fiorentina or Cotoletta alla Milanese: Le Coste Litrozzo Rosso is a nice red option from the Lazio that will pair wonderfully with leaner cut red meats as it has a very clean finish.
Marco Giuliani and David Dear producers of Lammidia
To where do you currently ship?
We ship to most states, with plans for future expansion in certain markets. We are even seeing a lot of people using us as a vessel to enjoy virtual wine tastings together during these crazy times.