In the mid-twentieth century, a number of French winemakers—known then and now as among the best in the world—adopted some dubious practices.

In an effort to produce more bulk and appeal to a perceived global market, they began shifting away from their historically minimalist practices that allowed wines to vary from vintage to vintage according to climatic fluctuations. Instead, they began using new technologies to alter the flavor of wine to be more broadly palatable (or so they thought). Pesticides and fertilizers were used in the vineyards; sugar and water were added to the wine to boost the alcohol content. Not surprisingly, quality plummeted.

The 1980s marked the beginning of the much-needed backlash to these developments: the organically farmed, unfiltered, low-to-no-sulfur natural wine movement.