Pét-Nat
Méthode ancestrale — single fermentation, often cloudy.
Defining structure
Bottled before primary fermentation completes; trapped CO₂. ABV 9–12%; lightly fizzy.
History
Pétillant naturel — méthode ancestrale — likely predates the méthode champenoise by centuries; Limoux's Blanquette de Limoux claims 16th-century origins for the technique. The category nearly disappeared as Champagne's methode took over the global sparkling market. A Loire Valley revival starting in the 1990s — led by producers like Christian Chaussard at Domaine Le Briseau — brought the technique back as a low-intervention alternative. The 2010s natural-wine wave adopted pet-nat as a signature style; production has spread from the Loire to Italy, Australia, and the US. Cloudy, lightly fizzy, often unfiltered, the wines are bottled before primary fermentation completes and finish under crown cap rather than cork.
Classic examples
Food pairings
Serving notes
Serve cold, 40–45°F. Open carefully, often refermenting.