Lubrication Blog
One Small Step for Man
We're taking one giant leap for winemaking with our first Pét-Nat Sparkling Wine.
First of all, what exactly is Pét-Nat? Good question. Short for Pétillant Naturel and translated to "Natural Sparkling," this is the OG French method of making sparkling wine and dates back to the early 16th century. While most sparkling wines have their effervescence added during a second fermentation, Pét-Nat wines are bottled before they complete their first fermentation and the bubbles are produced by natural sugars in the grape juice.
The process is laborious, expensive and hard. The first two times we attempted to make a Pét-Nat, things didn't go as planned. Two years of learning and refinement later, we finally perfected the craft and the result is Space Crush.
Our friends from Babcock Ranch in Solano County hooked us up with a few small lots of their celestial Riesling. After some manual foot-stomping and a run through the basket press, the fermentation process began. After a few weeks, we moved the juice to bottles where the fermentation continued.
Then, we had to hand bottle and top each and every one of these using this filler and bright red Ferarri (yes, like the car) crown capper. Every. Single. Bottle. By. Hand. If that doesn't make Pet-Nat isn't a labor of love, we don't know what does.
Notice how the bottles look a little hazy, or might have some "stuff" in them? Space Crush is a natural wine and was not fully filtered. Because of this, there will be sediment inside each bottle from the Pét-Nat process that tells you it is legit. It's dirty, embrace it.
The label is fit for a Warhol exhibit. Since our first Pét-Nat was so out of this world, we decided on a retro cosmonaut theme, available in three mod colorways. The fun part? You'll receive a completely random color when you order.
And how'd it turn out? OH MY GOD. We nailed this one. It's fresh, crisp and complex with a floral perfume and green apple, peachy notes that endlessly orbit around your mouth. The texture is fascinating, the bubbles so satisfying and the finish extends to the moon.
Jul 31, 2018 at 4:00 PM
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