What is Pet-Nat?

Jul 09, 2020 | posted by Sarah O'Connell

'Pet-Nat' or Petillant Naturel is a sparkling wine harkening back to ancient methods of minimal intervention sparkling winemaking (methode ancestrale).

Fermented in bottle with zero dosage, and frequently produced from grapes with higher acidity such as Riesling and Chenin Blanc, pet-nats have made their way onto many wine lists and retail shelves across the globe in recent years.

Their modern counterparts, such as Champagne, are bottled after a primary fermentation is complete and then 'topped-up' with a mixture of yeast and sugar (dosage) which encourages a secondary fermentation in bottle, thus producing the bubbles.

Pet-nats, on the other hand, are bottled in the midst of their primary fermentation. This allows the yeast and the wine's natural sugars to continue their little party in the bottle, producing bubbles as they dance away to their own ancient tune.

While these wines may seem simpler to produce, the volatile nature of pet-nats requires an exceptional mastery of the winemaking process.

Historically, the 'wild' nature of this winemaking technique has presented an expensive and potentially disastrous volatility which centuries of winemakers have sought to avoid. Harnessing this technique can be expensive, and often yields very limited quantities of finished product.

Generally unfined and unfiltered, pet-nat wines are extremely diverse in style, ranging from clear to cloudy, funky to fresh, and everything in between. They are finished with a crown seal, rather than a cork, and are sometimes associated more closely in taste with traditional cider than modern sparkling wine.

Pet-nats are a delicious adventure, to be enjoyed with or without food.

Would you like to take the journey?