Pét-Nat is the name of a new application, a restaurant or a fashion item? Not really, it’s the simplification of two terms that have a lot to do with the different trends that are gaining on the tastes of wine lovers: more fruit, less wood, easier-to-drink wines, less alcohol. , more whites and rosés, and fewer reds. Under these characteristics and supported by younger consumers and more competitive prices, in recent years a type of sparkling wine called ancestral or Pét-Nat has made its place, short for Pétillant Naturel — natural sparkling, not naturally sparkling —, which makes reference to fresh, natural wines, light and easy to drink, more affordable than champagne or aged sparkling wine.
“It’s the proto-sparkling wine, the first sparkling wine that could be made. In reality, it is the product of interrupted fermentation,” explains sommelier Óscar Riaguas, from La Clandestina (Toledo), about these bubble wines that are increasingly familiar to us. “In the past, winter came, it was cold and fermentation stopped, there was residual sugar before bottling, it was bottled and this fermentation caused the bottle to break. It was actually a mistake. In the world of wine, most of these types of processes are errors that, once controlled, once a glass or leaf appears that controls the pressure produced in a Pét-Nat, can be directed to produce a wine that ” carbon dioxide. »
Simpler preparation
Unlike the Champagne method, where the wine undergoes two fermentations – the second already in the bottle – these wines produced in the ancestral way only have one. “A Pét-Nat is a much simpler sparkling wine, it only involves one step and does not require a high price because it does not need to be aged for 30 months, 60 months or 100 months as is done. certain producers of the Champagne method. », assures Riaguas.
And even if this may seem new to us, according to this sommelier, “the fashion for these products began in the Loire in the 90s, since they are preparations made in cold climates”. These are wines that must also be natural: “The Loire has also been the origin of the great defenders of natural wines, which are also very fashionable, but they are a kind of cold climate process because it is much easier to be natural in cold climates than in warm climates. As he explains, since the 90s it has developed and spread to other regions because we have seen that a product that people like can be made at a very competitive price: “The secret is to to have good fruit and above all to be clean. .” In Spain, there are very good offerings beyond Catalonia, where sparkling wines are deeply rooted, such as in “Ávila, Segovia, Toledo or the Basque Country”, underlines the sommelier.
Unlike the Champagne method, where the wine undergoes two fermentations – the second already in the bottle – these wines produced in the ancestral way only have one.
These Pét-Nat are made on their respective terroirs, in addition, with native grapes. “Everyone does it with what they have and it gives a lot of body. It is the style that marks the wine itself more than the grape, and each grape gives it a different type”, thus we find the Pét-Nat de Malvasía de Sitges, with Verdejo, Airén or Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
What to take them with?
Sommelier Óscar Riaguas recommends taking Pét-Nats as an aperitif, where they always work very well. “It’s a very conversational wine because you can drink it with nothing, with little.” For starters or other dishes “we need wines with more longevity. In the end, ancestral wines or sparkling These are aperitif, party wines, to enjoy a simple glass and not be confronted with very heavy things.
The presentation of these wines also introduces different elements: they generally have a veneer instead of cork and show a slight cloudiness. But none of this should discourage us from trying them. “All sparkling wines have a cork, in the big brands of champagne or cava this cork has been there, it is aged with the cork, what happens is that as they have a second fermentation, this cork is removed , some of the lees are The product ends up putting it back in the bottle, but in reality you still have the bottle,” explains the sommelier.
Neither the veneer nor the turbidity of these ancestral ones are therefore defects. “It’s something completely natural, the turbidity is normal, these lees give it body. While plating is normal, it is what all sparkling wines have at some point during their aging.
And one more thing to keep in mind when drinking them: no open glass or flute, a normal glass of wine is most suitable for tasting these wines.
Here are seven recommendations from four different wineries that are worth trying.
This winery in the Sierra de Gredos, using completely natural methods, has been producing these Pét-Nats with fairly good mastery for ten years. Concretely, it puts two on the market, one red and the other rosé, which can accompany the next aperitif with friends.
1. Moska-say. A wine with a different name playing with the grape variety, made according to the ancestral method and small-grain muscat grapes from the lands of Avila. Very limited production, only 550 bottles per year, with very fine bubbles. Price per bottle: €15.
2. Telluric rose. Also made using the ancestral method, but in this case a rosé with the estate’s two oldest grape varieties, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, planted in the most humid area and where it is more difficult for them to ripen. A wine that seeks the freshness of Pét-Nat with the body of a rosé, with very fine bubbles. Only 380 bottles. Price per bottle: €14.
This micro-winery in L’Empordà is an authority in the production of natural wines. With 9.5 hectares of vines, he cultivates in communion with nature, practicing organic and biodynamic agriculture.
Among the twenty wines they make, their Pét-Nat stands out, all good and at an affordable price. Only one drawback: they are not easy to find because they are very popular.
3. Ancestral patience
A Cariñena white wine of which they produce only 2,000 bottles per year, a very good representative of ancestral winemaking. They are made by spontaneous fermentation in clay amphorae with final fermentation and aging in the bottle, manual disgorging and corking with rest until consumption. Price per bottle: €26.50.
4. Vitality
This wine made with 92% Parellada and 8% Muscat is, according to the winery itself, electric, fresh, festive and sparkling, promoting native Catalan grape varieties with a renewed look. Price per bottle: €14.50.
Originally from Nieva, in Segovia, this family winery works wonders with Verdejo, the star grape variety of the region. They preserve old vines, pre-phylloxera jewels which give their character to the wines they produce.
5. Snow York
MicroBio Nieva York is a sparkling winenatural sparkling, made from Verdejo from vines planted without grafting on silica sand and pebble soils. The grapes used for this wine are those from the first days of harvest. White fruits and floral notes for an aperitif or for sushi with friends. Price per bottle: €21.90.
6. Vallena
With this play on words he presents his Verdejo sparkling wine. After manual harvesting, it ferments with native yeasts at low temperature and with low turbidity in stainless steel tanks. Fermentation ends in the bottle without added sulphites. Notes of citrus and fresh grass that explode on the palate. Price per bottle: €20.90.
This winery is the personal project of Roc and Leo Gramona, the youngest members of one of the most important sparkling wine producers in Catalonia. They make wines that want to connect with the identity and wine heritage of their territory.
7. The Peralba Pét-Nat Enclosure This is an old sparkling wine from Malvasia which found a favorable market for these fresh wines. Less than 5,000 bottles for a pet nat that stands out for its freshness, its versatility to adapt to different accompaniments, ideal for aperitifs on hot days. Price per bottle: €15.80.
