Oyster River Winegrowers Pétillant Naturel & Rosé

Pétillant Naturel (a.k.a. Pét Nat) is a sparkling wine made in the Méthode Ancestrale, a methode older than Champagne! It is generally less effervescent than Champagne, it has less alcohol and a tad more sugar. It also has less intervention than sparkling wines made in the traditional method (Champagne) - the wine is not disgorged which means to filter out/remove the lees sediment in the bottle. By doing so it creates a cloudy sparkling wine with a funky, earthy flavors.

Oyster River Winegrowers is located in Warren, Maine. Yes you read correctly, Maine, USA. They are natural winemakers that make wines from their own vineyard, from other growers and cider from their apple orchard. What does that mean “natural winemakers”? For instance, they do no use sulfites or filter their sparkling wines and ciders. The use ambient yeasts to start fermentation spontaneously and no refrigeration in the winemaking process. Their still wines add minimal sulfites and filtered gently where necessary. Basically they add nothing nor do they take anything away. They leave nature do it’s thing. That is what winemaker Brian Smith’s Moto “ My role in the winemaking process to be more nature’s assistant than winemaker.” The farm is organically run from A to Z. They use draft horse power to plough the farm, horses graze in between vineyard rows and cows provide manure fertilizer for the soil. They use wood from their farm to heat the winery in winter. Their horse and cow livestock enables them to be a self-sustaining ecosystem.

Morphous is made with French American hybrid varietals such as 50% Cayuga and 50% Seyval from Doyle Vineyards in Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes, NY. The wine is a cloudy lemon color. Palate is off dry with aromas of lemon, apple, yeast. Medium intensity, flavors of green apple, white blossom, lemon, pear, yeast, saline and earthy.

The Morphous Rosé is made with 100% Merlot from Tucker Lane Vineyards in North Fork in Long Island, NY. The wine is cloudy medium pink color. Aromas medium intensity of rose petal, strawberry, cream and lemon. On the palate is off dry, medium intensity and flavors of rosé petal, cream, strawberry, cherry, minerals pomegranate and hibiscus.

The wine and cheese video review on Instagram Oyster River PétNat & Cheese

See this link for more information on the Méthode Ancestrale process