Pét-Nat Wine and Chilled Reds | The Ins and Outs of Natural Wines Darlings
Pét-Nats (Pétillant Naturels) and chilled red wines are popping off right now in terms of interest and demand.
Natural wine is a movement that is not going anywhere anytime soon it seems to be and natural sparkling pét-nats alongside chilled out, light-bodied reds are what hobbyists and fans are exactly after this summer and beyond
By the way, if you are a natural wine drinker or have any interests in the ever-growing movement just know that this is not to cast a dark light over white wins, deep reds or even orange skin contact wine – we’re focusing on what the people currently want… Pét-Nats and Chilled Reds!
The Numbers
A recent poll I conducted on social media asked industry advocates ;
“What’s your go-to? – Pét Nats or Chilled Red Wine?”
Chilled Red Wine succeeded getting 52% of the votes. Needless to say, this poll was neck and neck the whole way through and changed leaders between the two half a dozen times!
One thing became clear to me throughout the engagement & discussions following the poll – although Chilled Red Wine took the W, you guys seem to be extremely passionate for both of them equally with just two votes separating the two.
“Fizz flows through my veins!!”
Chilled Red Wine
It’s only fair to start with the winner so let me sell you on a bottle of chilled red wine real quick ;
You’ve sat out your backyard with the sun beaming, in the local park or even by the beach next to the crashing waves of the sea and you’re looking for a refreshing beverage to cool you down,
STOP!!
Don’t go for that basic bottle of Miller Light you seem to always rely on, why don’t you try that light-bodied bottle of red wine you got last week? You know the drill, there’s nothing more refreshing on a hot sunny day than a mouthful of cold and crisp natural red wine,
“Pinot Noirs or a Gamay I always bring out in the sun…chill them down super low!”
If you’re ever feeling confused about which red wine to chill don’t worry my friend, there really are no rules with this one. Although a rule of thumb most people stick by (which I also recommend), is to generally chill your lighter-bodied wines I.e Pinot Noir, Gamay, País, Carignan and Zweigelt just to mention a few!
You will get the most out of your experience if you stick to the lighter grape varietals mainly because they’re less chewy, tough and leathery (fewer tannin based wines). But you know as well as I do, that there are no rules when it comes to Natty’s so if you feel like chilling that ’16 Shiraz from Australia that you have,
do it.
Pét-Nats (Pétillant Naturals)
The Pétillant Natural style of making sparkling wine is as ancient as they come, it’s an incredibly intricate way of making sparkling wine that dates back to the 1500s!!
By bottling the wine before it’s fermentation has completed (purposely) this creates carbon dioxide from the natural sugars found in the grapes thus giving you an elegant, yet sophisticated sparkle to your wine.
“Pét Nat production is extremely variable and can be hard to control and therefore requires a level of expertise on the winemakers part. The end result is a raw, rustic & lively wine”
Pét-Nats are the way forward if you want some bubbles in your life, they’re light, delicate and have the mouthfeel of a cross between champagne and a spritzer of sorts.
And, they’re the complete opposite in terms of character and sophistication compared to that bog-standard Champagne or Prosecco people have to celebrate all sorts of events. Trust me, we all know you don’t like that shit…few people actually do so you’re not alone on that part.
There are so many Pétillant Naturals out there to choose there’s not a shortage, believe me on that… each year both the production and demand have increased steadily and we’re now approaching a stage where we are quite literally spoiled for option!
Here are a few recommendations for natural Pét-Nats to begin with based on the communities current favourites ;
What I hope you have learned throughout this discussion is that there is no #1 style of natural wine. Everything is based on people’s perspective in this world and that goes for natural wine too, whatever you’re into right now is perfectly ok. Just know that your taste buds will always be changing and 2 years down the line you could cringe at the fact you said Pét-Nat over Chilled Red Wine!
Things change and opinions differ.
Wine is no different.
