On Saturday, December 14, the #WinePW band of enthusiastic wine and food lovers are guaranteed to have a lively conversation. Why? We’re exploring pét-nat wines and foods for pairing! Lately, we’ve been sipping sparkling wine termed pét-nat, short for pétillant-naturel, and experimenting with a variety of foods to complement each sip. On Friday, December 13 and Saturday, December 14, our posts will be published and I’m incredibly excited to discover everyone’s choices and range of thoughts.
What is Pét-Nat Wine?
Just when many of us thought we discovered pét-nat as something new, it seems that this style of wine isn’t new at all! Its process of Méthode Ancestrale was the original form of sparkling wine production centuries ago.
Pét-nat is a sparkling wine that is bottled when partially fermented. Champagne, for example, is produced using méthode traditionelle whereby sugar and yeast are added to a bottle of dry, still wine so that a second fermentation results in bubbles. However, pét-nat undergoes the remainder of its first and only fermentation in the bottle where carbon dioxide and the sediment of yeast lees are trapped. After a period of time, often as short as a few weeks or months, the carbon dioxide is absorbed by the wine and voila! Bubbles! At this point, the pét-nat is ready to sip and savor.
This winemaking style produces a sparkling wine that’s more simple and rustic than Champagne. Often unfined and unfiltered, pét-nats can be cloudy and include sediment. During my research about this style, I found that the winemaking process can be quite challenging due to the fact that temperature control and timing during fermentation affect a variety of elements such as settling, amount of residual sugar and absorption of carbon dioxide. For these reasons, each bottle of pét-nat has the ability to reveal a surprising, thought-provoking wine whether it’s from Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Alvarinho, Pinot Noir, Mauzac and more.
Join the Conversation
Meet the group on Twitter at 11am Eastern/10am Central/8am Pacific on Saturday, December 14 with the hashtag #WinePW. I guarantee that the conversation will be fascinating and I’m already looking forward to discovering food pairings and the flavor, texture and balance of the pét-nat wines chosen by the group whose articles are about ready to go. Interested?
Deanna from Asian Test Kitchen explores “Pet Nat Food Pairings Made Easy with Glibert Wines”
Linda from My Full Wine Glass shares “A Fresh, Fruity Zweigelt Pet-Nat Perfect for Fish”
Jane of Always Ravenous discovers that she enjoys “Tasting and Pairing Pet-Nat Sparkling Wine”
Susannah at Avvinare shares “Blanquette de Limoux Paired with Salmon over Orzo”
Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Unexpected Pairings for a Pet-Nat Duo from Donkey & Goat: Coconut Beef Curry and Holiday Cookies”
Gwendolyn from Wine Predator pairs “2 Biodynamic Loire Pet Nats: Free Mousse and Bulle Nature #WinePW”
Nicole from Nibbling Gypsy has an “Around the World Pet Nat Party”
Lauren from Swirling Dervish explains “Pairings for Pet-Nat from Here (NY) and There (Czech Republic)”
I’m introducing on Grape Experiences “Soalheiro Espumante Bruto Nature 2016: A Versatile, Complex Pét-Nat of Alvarinho”
I look forward to “seeing” you on Saturday!
Cheers! ~ Cindy
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Nicole Ruiz Hudson