Digging up the Dirt on “Clean” Wine

Celebrities getting into wine production is not novel. A quick web search confirms our suspicion that with an excess of cash and cache, even the most unlikely red-carpet walker and trophy-chaser finds themselves tempted to invest in what feels like the ticket to instant class and distinction-- or perhaps, a bevy of free booze. Everyone from Mario Andretti to George Lucas has tried their hand at playing negociant and vigneron. Whether it’s the romance of vine-dotted and sun-drenched hillsides or the enticingly easy moneymaking opportunity that draws them, millionaire-backed wines are suddenly a dime a dozen. But how many are really worth even that?  

         The question of value, authenticity, and transparency is where we take issue with a new trend among the celeb-wines; the slow creep into the “natural wine” market. Health conscious sippers now can look to “wellness” gurus like Gwyneth Paltrow and her newest BFF Cameron Diaz for wines that they call “clean,” touting the benefits of this lower-additive and “filtered” wine which promises to keep you “drinking clean,” and staying movie-premiere trim while still enjoying your weeknight wine-down. In fairness, Paltrow’s GOOP-picked wine list, curated by sommelier Melissa Gisler Modanlou, is a legit run-down of some favorites and includes producers like Martha Stoumen, who we happily carry in the shop. But leaving winemaking to the bona-fide experts seemed not good enough for some, especially when there’s a trend to exploit.  Diaz in particular, with her Avaline wine brand, has teamed up with entrepreneur Katherine Power on a brand which is, in their words “full of natural goodness and nothing that doesn’t belong.” Using organic grapes which are “responsibly-farmed,” their powdery and minimal labels in blush and cerulean promise “delicious taste, clean ingredients, and bold transparency.” And while this wine has been filtered to ensure it is quite literally “transparent,” in a figurative sense, they keep their consumers in the dark. 

         First of all, while Avaline lists some of its producers on their website, highlighting a few growers with organic certifications in Spain and Provence, their red wine producer has chosen to remain anonymous. Their sparkling wine made in the Penedes (so, Cava, essentially) is sold on their website for $26. That’s not a problem, really---but  a similar wine sold by these same Cava producers, Raventos i Blanc, is available from the producer directly for around $22.  And the extra $4? That's paying for the label. But is the *Clean* tax worth it?  

         Marketing of these wines is focused on telling the consumer everything that makes these “clean” wines new, exciting, distinct, and un-missable. But as far as “clean” and un-doctored wines go, these just don’t cut the mustard. They’re bought from producers who have eco-friendly certifications but can produce huge amounts of wine for the export market. The wines are filtered, fined, and may have up to 100ppm of S02 (sulfites) added for stabilization. Most “natural” wines would balk at anything more than 30ppm, and many use none at all. Avaline uses only vegan filtering and fining products such as bentonite, pea protein and cream of tartar (to avoid tartaric acid crystal formation- a totally harmless and normal biproduct) but fail to mention that wines do not need any of these products added at all---to do so actually makes wines less “clean,” and less authentic, alive, and delicious. 

         Instead, the wines sold by Diaz and Power are filled to the brim with marketing claims about how pure and unadulterated their wines are, and the value of their organic grape stock. To be sure, organic farming practices are to be lauded and adopted as mainstream- but this certification alone does not a fabulous wine ensure. Rather, Avaline spreads misinformation about what a good, clean, real wine should be with the goal of promoting a commercialized version of “natural wine” which has been stripped of all character, made palatable to the average grocery-store shelf-scanner, and slapped with a deeply uninformative label---just try finding the vineyard site, vintage, producer… pretty much anything to tell you what you’re drinking and who made it. And this, is not what a natural or even natural-adjacent wine should represent.

         Which brings us to our final point. In a recent New York Times article, Eric Asimov points out the inherent contradiction in “clean wines.” In a move to be more conscious of health, well-being, and eco-friendliness, Diaz and others have actually advocated for more of the same misinformation, commercialization and depersonalization in the wine world which pushes producers to the shadows and allows mega-corporations to control what we drink and how we drink it. 

      “We wanted to bring it to your grocery store, not have to go across town to a specialty store to get the wine or special order it,” Ms. Diaz said in the introductory video, noting that “we just really   wanted it to be accessible for everyone.” 

         Accessibility is not the same as availability. Creating an accessible wine world means opening up education and tasting opportunities for would-be buyers in friendly, unpretentious and un-daunting ways. Urging folks to shop at the supermarket for their wine hurts small producers, small businesses, and especially those who are historically without the means to drink wine which is actually interesting, delicious, and ethically made. Grocery store wines are available in huge bulk amounts, unchanging from vintage-to-vintage, and sold by a staff who cannot be expected to make pairing recommendations or have the ability and time (or be paid appropriately) to help curate a personally-picked selection of wines. Moreover, grocery store wines are overpriced. Producers are paid mere cents for the bottle you as a consumer end up purchasing for $10-20 due to the many middlemen who’ve handled the goods and re-branded it for maximum shelf appeal and minimal taste, distinction, flavor or authenticity. Your dollar goes much further at a small shop, which works with importers and small distributors to go from vineyard to shelf in as few steps as possible. Diaz and others aren’t being approachable and accessible with their line of $26 + wines, “clean” or otherwise, regardless of where they’re sold. They’re condescending, and assuming they can manipulate the consumer who wants a better-made wine with minimal additives. They think you’re stupid, and that you should drink whatever they’re shilling because they’re famous and pretty and using buzzwords. But you’re not stupid. You can and should drink natural wines, for $20, made by farmers and families, and sold by people who know and care about what they’re selling. Knowing you deserve better and getting treated like an intelligent adult; that’s REAL self-care and wellness.