DEEP DIVE into Pet Nats - EXPLOSIVE Tasting ...

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I use this wine key: Laguiole en Aubrac Wine Key Ebony, Cheap key

I have used this glass in this Video: RIEDEL Veritas Champagne

I have tasted the following wines in this Video:

2021 Testalonga El Bandito 'I am the Ninja' Pet Nat Swartland, South Africa:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/te...

Casa Belfi 'Prosecco Naturalmente Frizzante' Bianco Sparkling Veneto, Italy:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/ca...

2021 Axel Prufer Le Temps des Cerises 'La Peur du Rouge' Vin de France:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/ax...

2021 Raumland Ancestrale Blanc Brut Rheinhessen, Germany:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/ra...

2021 Claus Preisinger Ancestral Sparkling Burgenland, Austria:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/cl...

The 100 Point Scoring System (from www.robertparker.com):
96-100: An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase and consume.
90 - 95: An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines.
80 - 89: A barely above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavor as well as character with no noticeable flaws.
70 - 79: An average wine with little distinction except that it is soundly made. In essence, a straightforward, innocuous wine.
60 - 69: A below-average wine containing noticeable deficiencies, such as excessive acidity and/or tannin, an absence of flavor or possibly dirty aromas or flavors.
50 - 59: A wine deemed to be unacceptable.

Did you ever think about how wine styles have developed? Every wine was made for a first time at some point, and with Pet Nats it likely happened when glass bottles were first used at scale for wine. Back in the days winemakers were less knowledgeable and were not able to get a detailed analysis of their wine and sometimes thought fermentation was over, even if there was sugar left in the wine.

This was not a huge problem when wines were transported in barrels, amphoras or skins where the CO2 could find its way out of the vessel. However, when producers started to put wines into – essentially - hermetically sealed bottles things started to get crazy.
In the best cases these wines developed bubbles and foam when they were poured and in the worst cases the bottles exploded. As it is often the case in the world of wine mistakes became traditions as these explosive wines became popular and the first producers started making their own Pet Nats on purpose. This tradition goes back a long time as the First recorded production of Pet Nat was in Blanquette de Limoux in Southern France in 1531.

By the way: The term Pet Nat is a recent invention. It is an abbreviation of Petillant Naturelle which essentially means naturally sparkling or fizzy. Pet Nat is not a legal term and there no legal restrictions associated with this style- This makes it very popular in the Natural wine scene. but winemakers generally make it in the following way: A fermenting wine is transferred into bottles allowing the wine to finish fermentation in bottle under a crown cap. There is only one fermentation and the yeast from the fermentation is just left in the bottle. The pressure is usually far lower than Cava, Champagne, Crémant and Sekt for example.

This method is called Méthode Ancestral or ancestral method as it is the oldest way of producing sparkling wines. Other methods like the Méthode Traditionelle, which is used in Champagne, were developed later. Today there is at least one AOC focused Pet Nat: Montlouis Pétillant Originel AOC. It was established in 2007 and the wines need to be made following the Méthode ancestral from Chenin Blanc. But: disgorgement and maturation sur latte is required for 9 months.