WHAT ARE PETNAT WINES
Maybe it’s from living in Bordeaux for so long and having already tried so many (wonderful) classical wines, but this summer for me has really belonged to the ‘Pét-Nat’ / ‘petnat’ or ‘pétillant naturel‘. Petnat is a a naturally sparkling wine and what’s fun is there are almost no rules, per se. This process to make petnat is called ‘methode ancestrale‘, which is rather rustic (as it sounds) and leaves the winemaker with a bit less control on the final product. The second fermentation takes place in the bottle, and there is generally no removal of the ‘lees’ or the sediment, which is why there tends to be a cloudy look to the wine. As there are no rules on which single varietal to use or which blend, the final results are limitless. If you are a lover of Champagne and , this is a great affordable alternative as well, with many good bottles running from 15-20 EURO.
A PETNAT PRODUCER TO VISIT
One regional producer not too far from Bergerac, Le Pre Vert in Razac-de-Saussignac, shared a bottle of their petnat with me which is just now on the market. It was light, crisp with delicate bubbles, slightly sweet and wonderfully fruity. Japanese-Franco couple Yasuko et Guillaume JACQUEMIN have created a really ambitious vineyard with many different, unique styles of wines from their 9 hectares of vines.
Buy from La Cave d’Antoine in Bordeaux / Open Tuesday-Saturday / +33 (0)9 50 52 63 58 / 26 r Furtado, 33800 Bordeaux /
Visit Chateau Le Pre Vert to learn more or to purchase directly from producer / Visits are offered in English, French and Japanese. Book in advance / LDT le PRE Vert Razac-de-Saussignac / +33 (0)6 12 30 46 25 / [email protected] / You can also message via their Instagram account /