For our current stock of Pet-Nats, check out our current selection here: https://bit.ly/39VKm6B
Pet-nat is all the rage in natural wine, and it comes with a few questions from wine drinkers...mainly, what is it? We will go through all things pet-nat in this blog!
What is Pet-Nat:
Pet-nat is an abbreviation for Pétillant Naturel, a French term meaning "naturally sparkling". Essentially, pet-nats are wines that have been bottle conditioned to add bubbles naturally, as opposed to force carbonation which is the most common method used in sparkling wines.
How Is It Made:
Pét-nat is created using a method known as the "ancestral" method, which is in fact the oldest version of sparkling winemaking in the world. This works by bottling the wine just before the fermentation is complete, allowing the wine to finish fermenting in the bottle. As you know by now, yeasts produce alcohol and CO2 as by-products of fermentation.So by adding the still-fermenting juice to the bottle, the yeast produces the bubbles naturally and the bottle captures that CO2 and it dissolves in the wine.
This results in a naturally carbonated wine, which can be made by white or red grapes. Pet-nat is usually quite dry, and sometimes slightly sweet. The variations between different winemakers and even different bottles of the same vintage are one of the reasons this style of winemaking has become all the rage, with wine consumers looking for something interesting and evolving.
Sediment:
One of the by-products of letting fermentation complete in the bottle is that the yeast sediment will fall out of solution and settle at the bottom, creating sediment in the wine. If you are someone who prefers their wine hazy, you can choose to disregard methods for disgorging (removing the sediment) and pour the wine in it's glorious rustic form.
For those who want a bit more clarity, chilling the bottle upright and then pouring softly into the glass will leave behind the sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
Where To Start:
There is an abundance of pet-nat wine on the market made by the best winemakers in Australia. Chances are your local bottle shop (like Bucket Boys) will have an ever-evolving selection of Pet-nat wines rotating through the shelves. If you wish to start your journey in the world of pet nat, check out our current selection here: https://bit.ly/39VKm6B