Tokar Estate has just released its first ever Pét Nat wine. Pét Nat is short for Pétillant Naturel, which is French for “naturally sparkling”, and in wine-speak, also referred to as Methode Ancestrale. It’s an ancient form of sparkling wine, which harnesses the natural gases produced during fermentation to create a funky, lo-fi wine packed with personality.

While Pét Nats may be known as the drink of choice for the young and hip, they are very much a symbol of a ‘return to roots’ when it comes to winemaking. 

Winemaker Martin Siebert and Vigneron Daniel Tokar were eager to explore the method to produce a natural wine that was youthful, vibrant, and fun to drink just in time for spring. 

The trapped yeast in the bottle stirs into suspension upon opening, giving a haze to its deep watermelon colour. The wine bubbles and foams excitedly, casting aromas of pink grapefruit, red apples, and sourdough leaven. It smells fresh and full of life. On the palate, the bubbles give the wine a lightness and a nostalgic, sherbet-like fizz with flavours of blackcurrant and citrus before a dry finish.

The wine is full of bright fruit while young, and as it ages, Martin and Daniel expect biscuity flavours to be released from the yeast, giving the wine an extra layer of complexity.

However, with warmer days coming our way, the pair say they wouldn’t wait to drink it! 

Tokar Estate’s first Pét Nat was made from Estate-grown Shiraz and Chardonnay grapes that were planted in the 1990s in the Yarra Valley. The Chardonnay grapes were hand-picked and pressed before going into a stainless-steel tank for fermentation, with the Shiraz following about a week later. The deep-red Shiraz juice was added to the Chardonnay to ferment together.

Careful monitoring of the depleting sugar levels followed to ensure that the ideal sugar concentration was achieved before bottling. Too much sugar meant that the bottles could explode, but too sugar little could result in a flat wine.

Tokar Estate’s 2021 Pét Nat retails for $25 and is available to purchase online.

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