Meet Tim Wildman, British born Master of Wine, self-declared “Pét-nat tragic...hopelessly devoted to this heartbreak wine style…” and creator of Astro Bunny and Piggy Pop, two of the world’s very few iconic Pét’nats.
Even when considering Pétillant naturel (roughly translated by naturally sparkling) or pét-nat as a wine style off the beaten track, these two ones are far out: pink pét’nat made in small quantities from (mostly) Italian grape varieties, Zibibbo, Fiano, Arneis, Nero d’Avola and Mataro grown in Australia’s Adelaide Hills, Mclaren Vale, and Riverland, without any adjustments or additions whatsoever, and of course, no sugar at all. 100 % natural wine, or using Tim’s own words: “Wild yeast, no adds, no filtration, no fining, zero sulphur = 100% natural goodness.”
It is tempting to believe that Pét’nat is a trendy drink for urban consumers, but it is indeed one of the oldest sparkling-winemaking techniques, often referred to as ancestral method. Nothing fancy about it. It goes like this: before the alcoholic fermentation is complete, the fermenting wine is bottled and sealed, trapping the CO2 in the bottle, and therefore creating a sparkling wine.
Not only has Tim been making pét’nat from Australia for the last ten years, but he has also taken a total of one hundred and fifty-eight wine professionals to a “once in a lifetime, money can’t buy sort of (yearly two-week long) road trip” to this fantastic wine country that he knows so well and loves so much. TWM’s Pierre was lucky to be invited in 2017.
Tim is a man of endless energy and creativity. His last project, Lost in a Field, is one of the most exciting we have heard about in our twenty plus years in the wine business. With some friends and volunteers, he rescues some of Great Britain’s oldest disused vineyards, and the result is… a pink pét-nat, what else!
