Quinta da Lagoalva debuts Pet Nat sparkling wine

A wine producer for 136 years, Quinta da Lagoalva – owned by the Holstein Campilho family and one of the largest and oldest estates in the Tejo wine region – has always been innovative in creating new references, some of which were pioneers in the region and even in Portugal, such as the Syrah single varietal. With a very consistent portfolio and two decades of oenology at Quinta da Lagoalva, Pedro Pinhão – and winemaker Luís Paulino – are now betting on a Pet Nat sparkling wine, a “out-of-the-box” wine and very appealing to a younger and more relaxed consumer profile.

Pet Nat is the abbreviation of Pétillant Naturel, which translates to a winemaking style that falls into the sparkling wine category, but where the wine is bottled before fermentation is complete, leaving room for the release of CO2, which leads to the existence of natural gas (effervescence). Quinta da Lagoalva conducted its first experimentation with this wine profile in the last harvest.

With DOC Tejo certification, the Lagoalva Espumante Pet Nat white 2023 (€9.90) follows the same logic as the Quinta da Lagoalva Reserva Bruto sparkling wine in terms of the predominance of Arinto in the blend (80%). In this case, the remaining 20% is from the queen grape of the Tejo wine region, the white Fernão Pires, both planted in alluvial soils on the banks of the Tagus River.

In terms of vinification, after pressing the grapes, the must clarified by flotation ferments in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 16°C. Almost at the end of fermentation (around 1012 density), the wine, still cloudy, is bottled, finishing fermentation in the bottle with lees. After a 9-month stage in the bottle, this Pétillant Naturel is launched on the market. A cloudy wine with a citrus color, which reveals notes of lemon and grapefruit on the nose. On the palate, it is dry, fresh and has a vibrant acidity, a result of the choice of the Arinto grape. To be consumed at 8 to 10°C, as an aperitif, to accompany salads and other light dishes, but also some cheeses and sausages.