As you know and appreciate, at Prost we feature low-intervention and biodynamic wines. 

The Swiss philosophy is one of minimal intervention, resulting in wine that reflects the true essence of the vineyard and grapes. As the winemakers work with nature rather than trying to control it, they create wine made with a focus on allowing the natural flavors and character of the grapes to shine through. Hallmarks of these wines include: 

• Grapes grown without pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers. 
• Minimal intervention in the cellar (fewer additives such as commercial yeasts, fining agents and sulfites).
• Spontaneous fermentation (relying on wild yeasts naturally present on the grapes and in the winery). 

But there is a category of wines that are made in the most traditional sense, meaning they are pure fermented grape juice. The very spirit of “au naturel,” these wines are unfined and unfiltered. 

In the beginning…

In a Swiss wine version of the old adage, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” a celebrated Swiss wine tradition was born, marking the start of wine season for decades.

A half century ago in 1975, the Swiss experienced a poor grape harvest that led to a shortage of wine throughout the region. What was a vintner to do to meet the demands of thirsty customers? What about bottling the wine before it was filtered…and so the unfiltered, or ‘non-filtre’ was poured. 

Numerous legends surround the discovery of this ‘non-filtré’. One tells the story of a villager who came to Henri-Alexandre Godet in search of bottles of wine for a wedding. With none to share, he offered the wine not yet filtered, and it was met with rave reviews. Another story tells of a friend who tasted a Chasselas still in the fermentation process; it was so good he asked for it to be bottled. Whichever story is true, Henri-Alexandre Godet is considered the founding father of ‘non-filtré’.

Growing popularity of the ‘Non Filtré’

Now considered a regional specialty, today more than 30 winemakers produce the ‘Non Filtré’ under the auspices of Neuchâtel Vins et Terroir (NVT). Because the wine is affordable and uncomplicated in taste, sales are growing steadily and exports are increasing. 

What exactly does “unfined” and “unfiltered” mean?

Fining is a process to clarify wine by adding ingredients that bind to unwanted particles, allowing them to settle and be removed. This process makes the wine clear and can improve stability.

Filtered means the wine goes through a filtration step before bottling, removing particles, sediment and some microorganisms from the wine. 

Natural wines that are unfined and unfiltered have not gone through the clarification process (fining) nor have they been through a filtration process. But don’t let the lack of clarity fool you! Unfiltered and unfined wines may retain some natural sediment and particles, which can affect appearance (they may be cloudy), but this contributes to the wine’s character and authenticity, allowing them to retain more of their original texture and complexity, and enhancing the flavor and mouthfeel. Wine enthusiasts around the world enjoy the uniqueness of these hard-to-find wines. 

The biggest challenge with these unfined and unfiltered and wines? They’re difficult to standardize because there are many variables that can’t be manipulated in the cellar. 

Have we piqued your interest?

Ask about the Non Filtré wines in the Prost portfolio!