Wine Code Breaker #440

Petillant Naturel, or Pet Nat, is a wine style with a light fizz that may seem to be new, but is in fact ancient in its method. Pet Nat starts much the same way as all winemaking – pick, crush, ferment. Almost always white grapes with skin contact in the ferment. Primary fermentation is cut short and straight to bottle. What you see is a wine that may come across as unfinished, but this is exactly how the winemakers want it to be seen. Don’t be afraid of the little chunky bits!

The 2023 Delinquente Wine Co Tuff Nutt Pet Nat Bianco d’Alessano is from the Riverland region of South Australia. In the clear glass bottle, it is a cloudy yellow with a tinge of orange. Flip the crown seal and you detect the light fizz. On the nose, it is a potpourri of marmalades and curd with the oranges and lemons fighting for attention with green apples. The light fizz on the palate brings these flavours together with a touch of funkiness and grip from the tannins. The acidity is crisp and served chilled, this is not a bad way to taste an afternoon away.

Enjoy!