PET NAT - The ancestral method

Pet Nat is an increasingly popular wine. And for a good reason! Forget everything you've heard about sparkling wines, a new generation of sparkling wines is coming, full of freshness, daring and flavour!

There are many legends of the first Pet Nat. The authorship of sparkling wines is attributed in 1531 to the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire. A monk would have discovered in the spring that the wine bottled in winter produced bubbles due to a resumption of alcoholic fermentation cut off by the cold. After perfecting the technique, the monks began to master the art of bubbles.

This method of production is quite distinct from the "Méthode champenoise”, which is the way in which Champagne is produced, in which the base wine is fully fermented and then undergoes a secondary fermentation in bottle with the addition of yeast and sugar, also known as "liqueur de tirage”. Another difference with Champagne lies in the fact that Pet Nat is normally not "degorged” after fermentation is completed (the process of removing the sediment remaining in the bottle from the second fermentation) so, some turbid appearance is frequent.

Often considered "the bubbles of friends”, Pet Nat is a festive wine. The choice of bubbles is therefore no longer limited to champagne or crémant. Wine lovers can discover a whole new range of sparkling wines with endless possibilities!

How we produce ours Pet Nat’s.

To make a Pet Nat, Quinta da Raza uses the ancestral method which is arguably the oldest way to produce a sparkling wine given its theoretical and natural simplicity.

Raza Pet Nat is a naturally sparkling wine that has undergone the least possible intervention. The grapes are picked and pressed. Wild yeasts will start the alcoholic fermentation, consuming the sugar in the grape juice and transform it into alcohol, this process releases carbon dioxide. Before all the sugar is consumed, we bottle the wine and we wait for the alcoholic fermentation to end. The transformation of the remaining sugar produces more carbon dioxide that gets trapped in the bottle giving bubbles to the wine.

We produce two Pet Nat`s, a White and a Rose.

The wines are packed with vibrant orchard and red fruits flavours. Their natural sediment makes them cloudy while adding to the complexity of flavours. Alongside a lively spritz, the wines exude wild yeasts aromas. They are ideal as an appetizer or to celebrate pleasurable moments.

"Come, my friends, I’m drinking stars".