The majority of natural wines are declared as Vin de France instead of AOC. Could this have a cultural reason?
It’s a known fact that natural wines are often declared as vin de France (formerly known as Vin de Table) instead of using the place celebrating local AOC.
This is a peculiar trend and the lack of love is probably mutual.
Neither the natural winemakers nor the industry as such (represented by the INAO) seem to feel that natural wines are the best possible representation of the particular AOC – and vice versa.
Why is this?
The culture
Our analysis is cultural and has to do with the people who make natural wine.
As formerly portrayed the natural winemakers are a special breed. They are more artists than farmers, more headstrong than ‘playing by the rules’, more authentic and self relying than schooled.
Broadly speaking an approach such as this does not work very well with a strict regulation on grapes, yields, aging vessels, conservation agents (etc).
In many respects the AOC system is a perfect representation of the type of paradigm which the natural winemakers so vividly oppose.
