The term Autentista, which may seem strange to some, is really a specially coined neologism. You won't find it in dictionaries because it was created relatively recently. It was coined sometime in 2008 by writer and winemaker Bogdan Trojak when he was looking for a suitable name for a producer of natural, unmanipulated wines. It is a trademark used or soon to be used by Autentista winemakers.
His intention was to connect like-minded winemakers, or to convince others, and thus create a community within which experiences and ideas related to natural winemaking would be shared. Slowly, this intention began to come to fruition.
What's the point?
The wines of our ancestors may not have been as refined and sophisticated as many of today's. But they were certainly authentic. And it is that authenticity that the Autentists have inscribed on their shield, united not only by the same regional affiliation, but above all by a commitment to making credible, handcrafted wines and, not least, by a deeper interest in the old wine country that their vineyards complete.
The rapid transition from traditional viticulture to modern practices has often erased or completely obscured the region's wine-growing specificities. And it is not just the disproportionate application of various substances that 'enhance' the wines. The resulting style of wine is also influenced by the abandonment of old, sloping vineyards, which are being replaced by flatter areas where vines have never been grown. The result is not only softened, 'overfed' beet wines but also overgrown, bleak hillsides whose vineyards have for centuries completed the genius loci of the landscape.
The authenticists concentrate on making wines using 'non-invasive', traditional methods. Their aim is to create honest, nature-respecting wines that fully reflect the spirit of the wine country captured.