The White Natural Wine collection at Primal Wine spans light and medium-bodied styles, with a small selection of full-bodied whites. The collection features still white wines, skin-contact orange wines, and sparkling wines, including Pét-Nats and traditional method sparkling wines.
Styles range from crisp, mineral-driven whites to textured, full-bodied options with depth and complexity. Prices range from under $25 to $230, covering everyday drinking wines and collectible bottles from producers like Jean-Pierre Robinot, Giuseppe Quintarelli, Domaine de l'Octavin, and Alessandra Divella.
Which Countries and Regions Are Represented?
Italy leads the selection with wines sourced from Emilia-Romagna, Abruzzo, Veneto, Lazio, Sicily, Piedmont, Campania, Liguria, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Sardinia, and Umbria. France follows with wines from Alsace, the Loire Valley, Burgundy, Jura, Languedoc-Roussillon, the Rhône Valley, Champagne, Savoie, and Ardèche.
The United States is represented primarily by wines from California and New York's Finger Lakes region. Additional countries include Spain (Catalonia and Penedès), Austria (Burgenland), Germany (Pfalz, Mosel, and Franconia), Australia, Switzerland, Portugal, Georgia, South Africa, Slovenia, and New Zealand.
What Grape Varieties Are Included?
The collection features a broad range of white grape varieties. International varieties include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Pinot Grigio. Italian grapes include Trebbiano, Malvasia, Vermentino, Cortese, and indigenous Sicilian varieties like Carricante. French varieties include Chenin Blanc, Savagnin, Jacquère from Savoie, and Alsatian grapes like Gewürztraminer and Pinot Blanc.
Austrian wines feature Grüner Veltliner, while German selections include Riesling and Silvaner. Georgian wines showcase indigenous varieties like Rkatsiteli and Khikhvi, often made using traditional qvevri methods. Spanish wines include Macabeo and Xarel-lo from Catalonia. Portuguese wines feature Alvarinho and other Vinho Verde varieties.
What Does "Natural Wine" Mean for White Wines?
Natural white wine follows the same principles as natural wine generally: grapes farmed organically or biodynamically without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, and winemaking with minimal intervention. In the cellar, fermentation occurs with native yeasts present on grape skins and in the cellar environment rather than commercial laboratory strains.
For white wines specifically, natural winemakers often skip or limit practices common in conventional white winemaking, such as cold settling, enzyme additions, temperature-controlled fermentation, and heavy fining and filtration. Sulfur dioxide, if added at all, remains well below conventional levels, typically under 30 mg/L. Many white natural wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered, which may result in slight cloudiness.
What Is the Difference Between White Wine and Orange Wine?
White wine is made by pressing grapes and fermenting the juice without extended contact with the skins. Orange wine (also called skin-contact white wine or amber wine) is made from white grapes but fermented with the skins for an extended period, similar to red wine production. This skin contact extracts color, tannins, and additional flavors, resulting in wines with amber or orange hues and a more textured mouthfeel.
The White Natural Wine collection at Primal Wine includes orange wines alongside conventional white wines. Orange wines in the collection come from regions with strong traditions in this style, including Georgia (where the technique originated thousands of years ago), Friuli-Venezia Giulia in northeastern Italy, and Slovenia.
How Should I Store and Serve Natural White Wine?
Natural white wine and rosé taste best well-chilled, between 45 and 55°F. Store natural wine at consistent cool temperatures between 50 and 59°F, away from direct light and vibration. Drink most natural white wines within a few years of release, though some age-worthy examples, particularly Chenin Blanc and Riesling, improve over decades.
Natural whites and orange wines often show best at cellar temperature rather than refrigerator cold. Many natural wines improve with air after opening, as aromatics develop and any initial funky notes integrate. Store opened natural wine in the refrigerator with a proper seal. Some natural wines taste even better on the second or third day.
What Food Pairings Work Well with Natural White Wine?
Natural white wines pair well with a wide range of dishes due to their balanced acidity, restrained alcohol, and the absence of heavy oak. Seafood and shellfish find a natural match in fresh, saline natural white wines. Vegetables and plant-based dishes complement the earthy, mineral, and herbal tones common in natural whites.
Fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and pickles share a kinship with natural wine's own fermented character. Charcuterie and cheese benefit from the acidity that cuts through richness. Asian cuisines work well because natural wine handles spice, umami, and layered complexity. Orange wines, with their tannin structure and texture, pair particularly well with richer dishes that might overpower conventional white wines.
