Sparkling Wine

Pet-nat is sparkling wine made by the ancestral method. The wine is bottled before its first fermentation is finished, so the bubbles form naturally from the remaining sugar with nothing added. It is usually dry, often cloudy, lower in pressure than Champagne, and charmingly rustic.

Pet-nat finishes a single fermentation in the bottle, while Champagne goes through a second fermentation with added sugar and yeast, then has its sediment removed and a dosage added. Pet-nat is lower in pressure and more rustic; Champagne is more precise and structured.

Col fondo means with the bottom. It is Prosecco refermented in the bottle and left undisgorged, so the sediment stays in. The style is typically dry and cloudy, with more texture and savory character than the polished, off-dry Prosecco most people know.

Usually not. Because there is little or no added sugar, most natural sparkling wine finishes dry to off-dry. Pet-nat in particular tends to be bone-dry, though a few bottlings keep a touch of sweetness depending on the grape and the producer's choice.

Chill it well first, since cold wine is calmer. Point the bottle away from you and anyone nearby, and open it slowly over a glass or the sink to catch any foam. Some pet-nats use a crown cap, so keep a bottle opener handy.

The haze comes from yeast sediment left in the bottle after fermentation, since these wines are rarely filtered or disgorged. It is completely harmless. Stand the bottle upright to let it settle, or give it a gentle turn if you prefer the sediment mixed in.