2023 Vandal 'Pet Bat' Pét Nat
Vandal Wines is a winemaking collaboration between three friends, all professional winemakers for three well-known brands, in Marlborough. Exploring the world of natural and low-intervention wines, they have made a series of low-intervention wines that draw on techniques not often employed in their day job.
'Pet Bat' is a fun sparkling wine made in the French "Pét Nat" or "Pétillant Naturel" method. The wine is bottled before fermentation has finished, allowing the last of its fizz to come from having been fermented in the bottle. Naturally, the spent yeast lees remain in the bottle so it is naturally cloudy.
Made from 50% Chardonnay and 50% Muscat (Muscat is an aromatic white grape variety, not to be confused with Moscato, which is a sweet sparkling wine), this wine strikes a beautiful balance between the racy, citrus Chardonnay flavours, and Moscato's heady aromatics.