Style
Pét-nat
pet-NAT
Bottled before the end
Pétillant naturel, méthode ancestrale: wine bottled while still fermenting, so the bubbles are the rest of the primary ferment. Cloudy, lively, and only as good as the grower.
- fresh apple
- citrus
- yeast
- flowers
- funk
Unlike Champagne, there is usually no disgorgement, no dosage, no second yeasting. Lees stay in the bottle. The result can be precise and orchard-fresh or a cider-bar accident.
Loire Chenin, Gaillac, Italian col fondo, and a thousand natural-wine labels. Serve cold, stand up so the sediment settles, and do not treat it as lesser Champagne. It is a different drink.
Picnic food, fried things, and curiosity.
At the table
Service
43–48 °F (6–9 °C). Pour gently; the last glass is the cloudiest.
