BY KRISTEN LINDBECK
While pét-nats seem to be all the rage for some, others are still on the fence, wondering what a pét-nat is and if they should care more about them and maybe jump on the pét-nat train, too. You are not lame or behind the times if you don’t know what a pét-nat is, and it’s okay if you’ve never had one. It’s also okay if you don’t (or think you don’t) like them, but give us a chance today to explain them, defend them and define them a bit, and you might walk away from this article thinking, “Darn it, if I’m not in the mood for a pét-nat!”
So, what the heck is a pét-nat, anyway?
Pét-nat is short for Pétillant Naturel, or natural sparkling wine — “natural” in that it is generally made using zero pesticides and a low-intervention approach, but also natural because of the process. A pét-nat is made in very few steps, in one fermentation, as opposed to all the diverse, complicated ways in which other sparkling wine is made. The process is quite simple: grapes are fermented and begin to become a wine, but just before fermentation can finish, that almost-wine is put into a bottle and sealed with a crown cap. The rest of the fermentation will finish in the bottle, which is where the fizz comes from. The sediment that pét-nat is classically (or, for some, UNclassically) known for is present because it forms as the fermentation finishes and is never removed — with Champagne-method sparkling wine, the bottles are disgorged of any sediment.
What does a pet-nat taste like? Feel like? Drink like?
- Pét-nats sometimes get a bad rap for being too funky or kombucha-y, sour or cidery; though some can have these characteristics, many pét-nats can also be clean and pretty and minerally and quite Champagne-esque when made correctly. Extremely funky pét-nats are a fun adventure for some and not for others. There is such a thing as bad-funky, and we find those are faulted and try not to buy gross stuff to sell you, so you won’t find the bad-funkies in our shop.
- The bubbles of a pét-nat will always be more fizz than full-on sparkling because that’s what the process allows for. While the Champagne process creates great pressure and, therefore, lots of small bubbles, the pét-nat process creates much less pressure and more of a fizz, hence the crown cap and not the cork and cage.
- Most pét-nat is dry. It’s very uncommon to find a sweet one unless the fermentation stopped in the bottle or something weird happened and there was grape sugar left over. Fruity pét-nat is common, but not sweet pét-nat.
- Pét-nat may seem fairly simple, but it’s actually quite hard to make well, and there are great ones out there as well as bad ones. A great pét-nat is a wonderful thing (and can cost upwards of what good Champagne costs!), but the process takes time, practice, knowledge, and healthy grapes. There are $40 pét-nats out there that I’m glad I splurged on, and others at a much more affordable price that I also felt delighted to drink.
Now are you curious about pét-nats? You should be! They are an exciting style of sparkling wine to drink and we always encourage introducing new things to your palate. And if you’ve read this article and still think you’re not sold, no problem. It’s okay to prefer no sediment in your wine or to enjoy a clean and classic Prosecco or a yeasty, rich and luxurious Champagne. In the end, enjoy what you like, but if you’re up for a wine adventure come by and see us — we’ll show you what all the fuss is about.
