What’s up with Pet Nat?

All of the hallmarks of spring are finally upon us—the smell of fresh mowed lawns, warm sun at 7pm, budding flowers, and an intense craving for slightly fizzy wines.  Right?!

At my first restaurant, there was a wine that we loved so much that it got the moniker “manager juice.”  Most shifts were finished out with a hefty pour of this fizzy, light, and bright Petillant Naturel with big notes of honeysuckle and lime zest.  It was a “Vi d’Agulla” (prickly wine) from the same importer that brought us the Ameztoi Txakolina Rose that we so coveted in New Orleans in the early ‘10s, Avinyo Petillant Vi d’Agulla.  We’ve got it on the list now at Small Favors too—BTG anyone?

We hardly knew what this wine was about at first—only that it was refreshing, low ABV, “crushable,” and truly perfect after a long summer shift in Louisiana.  And it felt like it was slow to gain momentum there, but then at some point I felt like I could easily grab a bottle at most places while dining out.  I drank a good bit of it before I finally decided to figure it out—that was less important than enjoying it at the time.

Pet Nat is short for "pétillant-naturel," which is French for "naturally sparkling." It's made using the "ancestral method," which is basically like letting the wine do its own thing and hoping for the best. Instead of adding yeast and sugar to create bubbles like they do in Champagne, with Pet Nat they just bottle the wine before it's finished fermenting, so the carbon dioxide created by the remaining sugar gets trapped inside and creates a natural fizz. It's like the wine version of a happy accident. Just don't expect it to be too predictable or consistent – it's more like a wild child that likes to keep you guessing.

Spring really feels like the best time to enjoy this stuff.  The gasp of the gas escaping the bottle as you cork it, the slight fog of oxygen mingling with the gas in the bottle, the whisper of the tight carbonation opening up as it finds it’s way to the glass.  It feels alive and appropriate to enjoy as the world reawakens after a bleak few months.

We’ve got one on the BTG and we’ve got some bottles hitting the list soon—I just tried this Kalamera Pet Nat that was oh-so-delightful.  Pop by and pop a bottle.