Pétillant-naturel Wines – What Are They?

By Alex Russell @OzWineGuy on May 19, 2016 in Other

It’s fair to say that most of us who like fizz want to drink Champagne, but we can’t always afford it.

The Aussie and Kiwi fizz producers have done a great job making decent bubbles affordable, and many of us have also discovered the budget-friendly Prosecco, which is made in a slightly different style, but ends up with similar flavour characteristics.

That said, sometimes we want to drink something a bit different. There are always those sweeter styles, like Astis and Moscato bubbles, but they can be a bit too sweet for many of us. If we want to drink some bubbles, but want to drink something that tastes a bit different to those Champagne styles, what should we go for?

Enter the ‘new’ kid on the block – pét-nat, short for Pétillant-natural. Well, it’s not actually that new. The method used to make wines in this style is called Méthode Ancestrale. It’s gained a lot of traction here recently, so let’s explore what it is.

Champagnes and most Aussie, Kiwi and Spanish drops are made in the Méthode Champenoise or Méthode Traditionelle style. Here, the juice from the grapes is initially fermented to produce wine. The wine is bottled, and yeast and (usually) sugar are added. A secondary fermentation takes place in bottle, which is where the bubbles come from.

With pét-nat wines, a term used to describe any wines made using Méthode Ancestrale, the wine is bottled before the first fermentation is finished. This means that the yeast from the initial fermentation is still converting sugar to alcohol, and in doing so, producing bubbles. No additional yeast or sugar is required.

It’s a pretty simple method and the product is also fairly simple, which is a nice change from the super-complex styles. They can be red, white or rosé. They’re often cloudy because they’re not filtered. And they’re often under crown seals, like a beer, which is fine because that’s what they use on Champagne bottles while they’re fermenting too.

Because there’s nothing added (sometimes minimal sulphur dioxide, but often none at all) they fit in well with today’s marke, and the price points are reasonable too. The wines are fun, vibrant and incredibly smashable. Like life, they shouldn’t be taken too seriously. And, best of all, there are more and more producers here in Australia making them.

La Violetta makes two: the Spunk Nat, a fascinating blend of Shiraz and Riesling, and the Frank Nat, a Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc blend. Mount Langi, surprisingly, seems to have made an ‘undisgorged’ sparkling Pinot Noir in what may be the Pét-nat style ($35). Jauma wines, well known for making natural and envelope pushing wines, produces a Pét-nat Blewitt Springs Chenin ($27). Sassafras, from Canberra, makes one from Savagnin, which is getting rave reviews. And BK Wines has released one mostly from Chardonnay.

I’m limited to how many I can list due to space, but no doubt the list will continue to grow. And don’t forget the imports. There is lots of great stuff being made overseas too.