Pet - Nat Explained
Susan Wenzel • April 8, 2021
put it on your list to try...
Pét-nats – Fizzy, Funky, Fun
Perhaps you are weary of the same ol’ same ol’ wine and want to try something audacious…something that won’t blow your bank account but might just blow your mind.
Pét-nat, short for pétillant naturel, is the extraordinary effervescent choice you might not know about. Naturally fermented, rarely filtered, and frequently made with uncommon grape varietals, pét-nats are the wild and wonderful – sometimes slightly eccentric – OG* cousin of méthode champenoise or “traditional method” wines like Cava, Prosecco, and Champagne. Those three typical types of bubbles stick to a short list of proper grapes which are picked, pressed, and fermented. The resultant still wine is then dosed with a dab of yeast and sugar and capped…thus beginning what those in the bubble bizz call “secondary fermentation” in which the yeast feasts on the sugar, gets a little gassy, and voila…fizz.
Conversely, Pét-nats are made using “ancestral method” or méthode ancestrale – the original, straight up, no additives added, method of making wine. Pét-nat is capped before the first stage of fermentation is complete, and the bubbles are produced au naturel using only the grape’s own sugars. Pét-nats pair nicely with a wide range of foods, from curry to crêpes, and are normally lower in alcohol and have a more subdued carbonation (which makes them perfect for day drinking as well).
The bottom bubble shelf at bayleaf is fully stocked with a vibrant assortment of crown capped, modestly priced pét-nats in red, white, and rose; domestic and imported; regular sized bottles and magnums.
P.S. If you find these bubbles are your bag, the bubbles wine club
regularly includes pét-nats along with true Champagnes and other worthy sparkling selections.
*Original Gangster
Which Pour Are You Coming For? Wine Club Members 2 for 1 Discounts offered on purchases seated as a group, food available for purchase Thursdays 5-7 tickets here
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Join us for a special seated tasting on Thursday, May 15 from 5–7 PM with Clarke Boehling of Rosenthal Wine Merchant While visiting trade accounts in the area, Clarke has carved out time to lead this intimate tasting—and we’re thrilled to host him. This is a rare chance to explore the Rosenthal portfolio through the eyes (and palate) of someone who knows it inside and out. Tickets here .
Below are the wines poured at this year's Annual Champagne Tasting. Please reach out with interest.
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Fall Wine Extravaganza Join us for an afternoon of delicious wines! Unlike our tastings of the past, this will be more like what we call a "trade" tasting. Each rep will be stationed at a table with 4 of their wines - a mix of chilled whites/roses and reds. You are welcome to mingle, pose questions to the reps, bounce back and forth and taste at your own pace. We'll provide solo cups to encourage you to pace yourself and spit. We'll have staff passing bites of food to pair. We'll be joined by Eric, Jesse and Ken in the Coupeville Rec Hall. This will give us all plenty of room to spread out. There will be discounts offered, lots of conversations had and as much education as you would like. This is a standing, social tasting. Wine club members enjoy discounted ticket pricing as well as deeper discounts on orders at the event. Join one of our wine clubs before the event to take advantage of these extra discounts. You don't want to miss this one! A great opportunity to taste before you buy, restock your wine rack and choose a few special bottles for the upcoming holiday season. Saturday 29 October 3 - 5 Coupeville Rec Hall tickets are required Non-wine Club member Wine Club member