Wine. Au Naturel.
What to love. Where to source. Mitigating pain points. And expert deep dives.
I hope to be a helpful source for your well-edited life, so I think it’s best I keep these newsletters centered around a topic when possible. It felt festive to begin with natural wines. They’re clean and soulful, often produced by small vineyards using regenerative methods informed by the moon cycle. So much to love.
What to Love
There are many reasons to appreciate and choose natural wines over conventional; much is about what they leave out of the process. Some issues/concerns of conventional wine include:
76 approved FDA wine additives can be used (dimethyl dicarbonate, sugar, milk, and egg whites to name a few)
Many commercial wines are part of conglomerates and produced in commercial factories (despite what their branding conveys)
Fermented GMO yeast is used (vs. wild, native yeasts)
Glyphosate (a toxic pesticide) is common in conventional, American wines
Where to Source
If you’re local to Phoenix, here are some great natural wine shops:
and my latest discovery… Monsoon Market
Subscription & Delivery Service
While I love discovering natural wines at local restaurants and shops, this category can admittedly be confusing, especially when searching for an “optimal” wine in terms of health.
Dry Farm Wines is a wonderful option as the wines they import (and then deliver to your door) are sugar-free, lower alcohol (12.5% or less), lab-tested, and sourced from small family farms that follow organic farming practices.
I’ve not heard anyone explain the complexities and questionable practices in the conventional wine world, and therefore the case for natural wine, better than the founder of Dry Farm Wines, Todd White. He’s been on several podcasts, but a recent interview is linked below.
Wine Apps
When Wine Tastes Best: “A biodynamic calendar for wine drinkers.” Whether you adhere to it or not, it's a fun and quirky app.
Raisin: Natural Wine & Food: A great one to use when traveling to discover local shops, restaurants, and bars.
Mitigation & Deep Dives
I’ve been known to dole out activated charcoal tablets like Tic Tacs when drinking or eating out (you never know what seed oils, etc. sneak in). But this Accelerated Cellular Detox Powder (recommended by a friend’s wellness-loving mom) takes it up a notch. I mix a scoop with filtered water and apple cider vinegar and drink before bed.
Thorough Protocol
For a deep-dive protocol to mitigate the pitfalls of alcohol, check out this article by Ben Greenfield. Ben’s one of the original biohackers – before that label was over-used – and details the “physiological roller coaster” that occurs when drinking and how best to support your body when/if you choose to indulge.
Podcast Highlight
I’d be remiss if I didn’t include this podcast by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., “What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health.” An oldie but oh-so-good episode that delivers the hard truths of alcohol explained by a neuroscientist.
Morning After
More on coffee in another newsletter, but this is timely for two reasons…
I lean on coffee more than usual the morning after drinking a glass of natural wine (or two) and suspect you may as well. If you yearn more for the ritual and taste and want to avoid caffeine, I love Swift Coffee Instant Decaf.
Their sale ends **tonight** Sunday, 5/12 at 11:59 pm EST. Code mayflowers for 18% off.
I asked the founder/CEO, Nate Kaiser, about their purification process (decaf is notorious for chemical extraction, and an alternative, natural process is Swiss Water). Here’s his response:
“Our current decaf is not processed by Swiss Water, but it is a natural process nevertheless. The decaffeination is done with alcohol and vinegar (Ethyl acetate) utilizing the byproduct of Colombian grown sugar cane. Typically the quality is higher than Swiss Water processed decafs and more importantly it can all be done in Colombia rather than having to be shipped to Canada for Swiss Water to process the coffee. Fresh, high quality coffee from Colombia processed into decaf using Colombian grown sugar cane, and then shipped directly to the U.S. It's about the best decaf option on the market right now. :)”
Cheers and enjoy your Sunday.
x- BB
Love this so much! Digestible and informative. You are a gem, my gifted friend. 🍷