Blog Archives

Discover Grosgrain, A Very Cool Walla Walla Winery for Fun Fizz and More

Back in October I spent five idyllic days visiting wineries in Walla Walla, Washington. It had been a few years since my last trip, so I wanted to balance visiting some favorite spots with checking out new places. Regarding the latter, at the top of my list was Grosgrain Vineyards. Was I originally lured by [More]

Posted in Washington | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Does wine continue to ferment in the bottle?

I’ve been answering wine queries on the question and answer site Quora. I’ll share some of the most interesting questions I’ve been asked and, of course, my answers. I limit myself to spending a couple minutes on each response, not doing any research or “cheating.” I rely on my experience and opinion, which is probably not [More]

Posted in sparkling wine | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Persephone Wines Pét Nat is the Perfect Afternoon Wine

I met fellow scribe Rachel Signer in 2015 on a trip to Sicily, right before I moved to New York. We’ve been friends since. She lives in Australia (!) now and is producing her own wines. I was tickled to walk into Thirst Wine Merchants and pick up a bottle from her Persephone Wines label, [More]

Posted in pet nat | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Delinquente Wine Makes Fizzy Fresh Fun in a Bottle

After a comparative Australian Chardonnay tasting (stay tuned ) I shoveled in as many little sandwiches as I could and contemplated a walk-around tasting put on by Wine Australia. I was hovering near the Wine Dogs Imports table and, since they are a friendly lot, decided to check on a familiar label. I’ve had the rosé [More]

Posted in pet nat | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Fizzy Delights of Pét-Nat: Three to Try

Pétillant-Naturel wines, charmingly shortened to Pét-Nat, are some of the most fun wines out there. The (ancestral) method to its madness is that the wine is bottled (usually with a crown cap, like a beer) while still fermenting. Carbon dioxide, one of the byproducts of fermentation, gets trapped in the bottle. The resulting wine is a [More]

Posted in pet nat | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Weather to Fly: A Long Island Pét-Nat That’s a Fizzy Delight

First of all, what is Pét-Nat? It’s short for pétillant-naturel. And it is a fizzy delight. (Sometimes it can be a bit cloudy and funky, too.) You make Pét-Nat by bottling a wine while it’s still fermenting. So some happy bubbles become trapped. That means, upon the time of enjoyment, YOU WIN. (Please note that Pét-Nats can sometimes be a [More]

Posted in pet nat | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment