Petnat

What is Petnat?

The name comes from the French pétillant naturel, literally “naturally sparkling”. Petnat is made according to the méthode ancestrale, an age-old technique that is even older than the method used in Champagne.

Instead of a second fermentation in the bottle, the wine is bottled while the first fermentation is still ongoing. The remaining sugars create carbonation in the bottle.

No added sugar, no second fermentation — just grape, fermentation, and time.

Result:

• Soft, often creamy bubbles
• Lower alcohol content
• Fresh, fruity, and sometimes slightly funky character
• Often cloudy due to sediment

What does Petnat taste like?

Petnat has no fixed flavor profile. Everything depends on the grape, terroir, and winemaker. However, you often see:

• Fresh white fruit (apple, pear)
• Citrus and lively acidity
• Light yeasty or bready notes
• Red fruit in rosé varieties

Some bottles are crisp and mineral, others more wild and expressive. That makes every bottle a small adventure.

Pet Nat vs Champagne: what's the difference?

Pét-Nat and Champagne are both sparkling wines, but they are made in completely different ways:

Pét-Nat (pétillant naturel) is created when the wine is bottled during its first fermentation, causing the bubbles to form spontaneously in the bottle (méthode ancestrale).

Champagne, on the other hand, first undergoes a complete fermentation and then a second fermentation in the bottle (méthode traditionnelle), which results in finer bubbles, more complexity, and a tighter, more consistent character.

In short: pét-nat is lively and all-natural, while Champagne stands for precision and refinement.