Natural High

In the wine world, the linguistic parameters that define the term "natural" are one part battlefield and one part secret code.

To unearth the password, consider Terroir, the newly reopened wine bar and wine shop in SoMa.

Simply put, Terroir sells only wine that is some combination of the following: organic, biodynamic, dry-farmed (without irrigation), made with indigenous yeasts and unsulphured. Their focus is on Old World wines produced via traditional methods, so there are few California bottlings.

Letting wine make itself is a boon for grape fans: The resulting wine is entrancingly complex. Here, a few of the highlights at Terroir--naturally:

2007 Domaine Huet Clos du Bourg Vouvray Sec ($28) This single-vineyard white is both organic and biodynamic, and it's one of the best natural wine values around, with lean minerality, perfect acidity and bright citrus flavors.

NV Francoise Bedel Entre Ciel et Terre Champagne ($75) This biodynamic wine comes from a vineyard that has seen no chemicals or fertilizers since 1998. One of Terroir's owners, Dagan Minestero, says that although this bottle is labeled "nonvintage," all the grapes were harvested in 1999, which explains its irresistible dusky notes.

2007 Marcel Lapierre Morgon ($41) Lapierre studied under Jules Chauvet, a Beaujolais winemaker who inspired the natural wine movement. This unsulphured bottling is produced with natural yeasts, resulting in fresh berry flavors from the cultish Gamay grape.

Terroir Natural Wine Bar & Merchant, 1116 Folsom St. (at Seventh St.); 415-558-9946 or terroirsf.com