Pet Nat Wine | What is a Pet-Nat?

While pet nats might seem like a hip new fashionable “fad”, the method of winemaking used (called the Ancestral method) is actually one of the oldest techniques for making sparkling wine!

Unlike the “Traditional Method” or “Method Champenoise” wines of Champagne, Cremant or Cava, these wines are produced by a single fermentation, whilst traditional method wines see two fermentations to create the bubbles

The trick to making a Pet Nat wine sparkling wine lies in the partially fermented juice being bottled before it has fully finished. The fermentation then finishes inside that very bottle. As the yeasts convert sugar to alcohol and complete their journey to dryness (leaving a little residual sugar behind) the by-product of carbon dioxide is created and captured in the bottle - voila, bubbles!

No-one really knows who created them first, as technically, they would have been accidentally made when a wine was bottled with a little too much residual sugar and no Sulphites added, meaning the wine had not finished fermenting before being bottled, and this would have caused a natural bubble. The earlier forms of Prosecco, using the Glera grape regionally found in Veneto, would have been Col Fondo Pet Nats. In the same area of Veneto, the founder of popular winery Costadilà called Ernesto Cattel is largely credited with making the first orange pet nat, which is a slightly more complex process to get the balance right between tannins and drinkability.

What is a Pet Nat wine?

Pet Nats are a form of naturally sparkling natural wine, where the wines finish their single fermentation in the bottle, rather than beign made like a Prosecco, Champagne or Cava. Only natural wine producers make Pet Nat Wines

What are other names for Pet Nat wines?

Other common terms for Pet Nat wines include: Ancestral Wines, Col Fondo Wines and Pétillant Naturel, which means ""naturally sparkling""/p>

What is the best Pet Nat wine?

Its always a matter of taste, but many winelovers prefer acidic white grapes for Pet-Nat wines, as they are fresher and crisper. Some favourites include the Le Temps Est Bon by Domaine Bobinet, which is made from Chenin Blanc grapes in the Loire. We also recommend the excellen value Porta Del Vento ""Voria Bianco"" made high on a hill in Sicily as well as Frauenpower by Vin de Lagamba, which is similar to a German Lambrusco style fizzy red wine.

What temperature should I serve Pet Nat wines?

Pet Nat wines, aka Pétillant Naturel, should be served straight from a cold fridge. This is not just to preserve the fresh flavour, but also to avoid the sparkling wine from coming out of the bottle too fast, which can be a problem with Pet-Nats.

Which producers make great Pet Nats

Popular producers who make great Pet Nats include Patrick Bouju, Andreas Ziniel, Porta Del Vento, Glow Glow Wines, Marto Wines, Vin de Lagamba, Grandbois Wines, Strekov 1075 and Les Vins Pirouettes