Pétillant Naturel

Term (also Pét Nat) for "naturally sparkling" wines. This is an ancient process, which in France is known as the méthode rurale (also known as méthode ancestrale). There are no wine regulations, which means that production can vary. In contrast to sparkling wine or champagne, there is no "real" bottle fermentation (by adding yeast), but a single fermentation in two stages. After a mash fermentation, which is often initiated spontaneously, the unfermented grape must is bottled at around 20 to g/l residual sugar and 5% alcohol by volume.

Natural Wine - Graphik

This can be done in different ways, so that the fermentation that continues in the bottle can result in a weakly to strongly sparkling wine. Whether a semi-sparkling wine or a sparkling wine is produced depends on the time of decanting or the residual sugar still present. The producer decides whether disgorgement (yeast removal) takes place; if so, no dosage or sulphur is usually added. Such products are categorised as natural wines.

Further information

For the production of alcoholic beverages, see Champagne (sparkling wines), Distillation (distillates), Speciality wines, Spirits (types), Winemaking (wines and wine types) and Wine law (wine law issues).

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Pétillant Naturel

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