LE PÉT NAT
Pét Nats…
What are they?
Do you remember my first blogpost, Poppin’ Bottles? If you haven’t read it, be sure to check it out and get the deets on the Pét Nat - or Pétillant-naturel if you wanna sound French and sophisticated.
I remember my first pét nat like it was yesterday. I was just a baby wineslinger, courting the Sommelier at this Bohemian hipster wine bar in Echo Park that was way too cool for me and the portfolio I was repping at the time. Their program was super dope, and I was chatting up the individual in charge when they suggested I give a rosé pét nat a try.
I had heard the phrase, “pét nat” in passing. There were murmurings and whispers of this bubbly beverage from the scarf wearing, heavily tatted, obscure wine related meme using, mustachioed members of the hipster wine community — but I had no idea what it meant and I needed to be schooled.
major pét nat vibes.
Pét Nat 101
The Somm told me that a pét nat was a sparkling wine made in the, “methode ancestral,” fashion which is the old school way of making sparkling wines.
The first pét nats were made - like Cabernet Sauvignon, White Zinfandel, and all the other great things in the world of wine - by accident. In order to make a pét nat, you’re essentially re-creating an accidental process which is actually really freaking hard.
When a pét nat is made, it is bottled in the middle of the primary fermentation process. Pét nats - like Champagne - undergo both a primary and secondary fermentation process. With pét nats, they are bottled and capped off with a crown cap - that’s the cap on beer and soda bottles - before that secondary fermentation process happens.
The fermentation process slows down, and while the yeast is eating the sugars, Carbon Dioxide is produced as a byproduct of this. The Carbon Dioxide stays in the bottle and that’s what gives the pét nats their signature, soft, bubbly goodness. It also preserves the wine so pét nats do not need sulphates.
As the yeast dies, it settles to the bottom of the bottle and can be left there.
This results in a cloudy pét nat - which is A-okay. If the winemakers don’t want a cloudy pét nat, it undergoes a process called disgorgement. The bottles are flipped so the yeast moves to the neck of the bottle and are subsequently immersed in an ice bath. The cork is uncapped, the icy yeast is removed, a bit more wine is poured to top it off and the pét nat is recapped again.
Pét nat typically have softer bubbles - more like soda bubbles if that makes sense - and come in a variety of levels of funkiness and fruitiness. Though pét nats were made as early as the 1500s, they had a resurgence in the 1990s.
So in essence, the Pét Nat is really the OG of sparkling wines.
What do Pet Eats taste like, tho?
Um…. like bottled joy?
The second I took my first sip of this delightful, effervescent beverage it was literally like taking a bubble bath in strawberries, roses dipped in sugar, and cotton candy at a freaking carnival. But it was a feeling more than anything. The wine was whimsical and fun.
In short, pét nats are just really happy wines. I’ve never met one I haven’t liked.
A pét nat is the perfect wine to bring to a party because they’re a) so damn good and b) a great conversation starter when it comes to explaining the process of how pét nats are made.
Plus, saying pét nat is just really fun, mmmmkay?
These wines can be enjoyed on their own or with food. Because of their soft bubbles, they have a lot of versatility to them.
You can enjoy pét nats poolside, at parties, or at brunch. There’s an effortless sensibility about these little effervescent wines, which makes them perfect every day drinking sparklers.
And now, that brings me to the …
PICK OF THE WEEK:
Subject to Change Party Monster Pét Nat Rosé 2020 $28.00
@subjecttochangewineco
#mindblown.
As a pét nat consumer, I had never seen a Petite Sirah Pet Nat. It could be they’re everywhere and I just don’t get out much — honestly who does these days — but anyway…
My mind was whirring at the possibility of a delicious, delightfully effervescent and oh so natty - a word many a wine hipster uses to describe a natural wine - Petite Sirah!
The name, “Party Monster,” is an apt choice for such a vivaciously fruity delight! It’s honestly electrifying.
The first whiff I took of this amazing concoction I got this rollicking punk rock version of Bazooka Bubblegum. When I took a sip, it reminded me of watermelon warheads. I couldn’t help but envision those delightfully little sour candies I used to eat by the handful until my tongue burned because I was a total masochist and hey, it was the ‘90s.
This wine is obviously not that sour, but there’s definitely a little zing to it! I got loads of aromas of salted lime which made me want to put on a pair of flip flops and hang out by the pool in a neon bikini on a 90 degree day. If you love dry cider you would go nuts for this wine!
I had it with a Moroccan Tagine and it was out of this world. Can’t recommend enough. This is definitely a 2021 Summer Sipper.
More than just a pretty wine.
Subject to Change is a small production winery with a staff of 3. Their practice is called “zero-zero” which means nothing is added to the winemaking process. The result? Beautiful, natural, Old-World style wines.
I really vibe with this winery because not only do they produce phenomenal wines such as this little beauty I’ve mentioned above, they hold themselves accountable to bettering the wine industry as a whole. They are launching an incubator program - a sort of winemaking think tank - where they partner with different winemakers in the community. These winemakers come from a variety of different backgrounds and there is a very heavy focus toward working with BIPOC and Latinx winemakers.
I was very impressed when I reached out to these guys and Alex Pomerantz - the winemaker himself - reached out to me and was willing to hop on a call. I hadn’t even launched Thurstqueen yet and the guy was willing to give me an hour of his time and chat about all things wine and natty with me. Turns out? He’s a really cool dude with a fresh perspective when it comes to making wine.
Alex never had some fancy pants degree in oenology or viticulture. The man is self taught and entered the wine industry entirely on his own - something that I respect the hell out of. We chatted and he told me he spent a lot of time educating himself when he was young, trying interesting wines from wine shops, going to natural wine bars, and watching Wine Library of all things. Turns out he and I were both Gary Vee fans, he he.
Anyway, Alex has a really unique philosophy when it comes to sourcing his fruit. He purchases his strictly organic fruit from growers he wants to work with, who respect the environment and implement viticultural practices he can get behind. He’s not the type of guy who would just go out and purchase whatever hipster varietal he could find just so he could make some “cool,” natty wine if it comes from someone who isn’t sharing the same values. That’s why you see some really fun, zany wines at Subject to Change.
I remember when I first tried the Party Monster Pet Nat in a previous vintage, it was Zinfandel - another varietal I don’t see typically used in pét-nats.
Anyway, we were talking about Petit Sirah and he said people usually think of it as an overly tannic, astringent, enormous “Dad wine,” but Alex has no problem changing people’s perceptions about grapes. I highly recommend checking out Subject to Change and their wines and want to support wineries with a similar mission.
Thurstqueen is a blog dedicated to educating and empowering its readers to the world of wine and making the wine world a more inclusive one — with a bit of humor of course.
If you know of any brands that are similar, let me know in the comments and I’ll check them out!