Pet nat is one of those wines that people often assume is just for aperitifs. And although that's a perfectly good use of a bottle of pet nat, we may argue that it's also selling the style short, because a good pet nat can be one of the most food-friendly wines you open all evening.
Here's why: pet nat combines the very qualities that make a wine food friendly:
- Good acidity which cuts through fat and richness.
- Natural bubbles which refresh the palate between bites.
- Low alcohol to keep everything lively rather than heavy.
- Textural complexity that comes from natural winemaking gives pet nat enough character to stand up to real flavours without overpowering them.
In this guide, we'll work you through a reminder of what pet nat is and how to match it with food. And if you're inspired, head to our selection to get you started!
A little reminder of what is pet nat
Pet nat is short for Pétillant Naturel, which translates from French as naturally sparkling. Far from a new wine trend, it is in fact the oldest method of making sparkling wine, predating Champagne by centuries.
The process is simple: the wine is bottled before fermentation has finished, so the carbon dioxide produced by the remaining yeast activity is trapped inside the bottle, creating bubbles naturally.
And here's the beauty: there is no second fermentation, no added sugar, no dosage. Just wine, yeast, and time. The result is a wine that is gently sparkling rather than too fizzy, often slightly cloudy from the natural sediment, and full of a lively quality that conventional sparkling wines often lack.
Another thing we love about pet nat, is that there is no rules. It can be made from any grape variety, in any colours, from anywhere in the world. White, rosé and red pet nats all exist, and the style of wine varies enormously depending on the grape, the producer and the region. What they share is that freshness, that gentle fizz, and that sense of something a little unpredictable and alive in the glass.
Pet Nat x Food pairing 101
Before getting into specifics, a few general principles worth keeping in mind.
Match the weight of the wine to the weight of the food. A light, delicate white pet nat wants light food: seafood, salads, soft cheese, lighter starters. A more structured rosé or red pet nat can handle more robust flavours: charcuterie, grilled meat, stronger cheese.
Think about acidity. Pet nat is naturally high in acidity, which makes it brilliant with fatty, rich or fried food. The acidity cuts through the fat and keeps everything feeling fresh rather than heavy.
Do not overthink it. Pet nat is informal wine. It is made to be opened and enjoyed without ceremony. The best pet nat food pairing is often the most obvious one: whatever you are eating, whatever is in season, whatever is on the table.
White pet nat food pairings
White pet nat is the most versatile style for food pairing. The acidity and freshness make it broadly food-friendly, and the gentle fizz works with a wide range of textures and flavours.
- SEAFOOD: Fresh oysters, grilled prawns, steamed mussels, ceviche, fish tacos, sushi: the saline, mineral quality of a good white pet nat alongside anything from the sea is one of the great combinations in food and wine. The bubbles cut through the brininess of shellfish and the freshness of raw fish, but the wine never overwhelms the delicacy of the seafood.
- SOFT CHEESE: Burrata, fresh ricotta, mild goat's cheese, a young brie: the creamy, yielding texture of a fresh cheese alongside the gentle fizz of a white pet nat is a pairing that almost always works. Avoid very strong or aged cheeses with delicate white pet nats, as the wine will get lost.
- FRIED FOOD: Perhaps the most surprising but most reliably successful match. Tempura, fried courgette flowers, whitebait, fish and chips: the acidity and bubbles of a good pet nat cut through the fat of fried food better than almost any still wine, and the combination is genuinely delicious.
- ASIAN FOOD: Vietnamese spring rolls, Japanese gyoza, Thai salads, lighter Chinese dim sum: the freshness of a white pet nat alongside clean, herb-forward, lightly spiced food is a natural match.
Try: Oniric Pet Nat, Entre Vinyes
Catalunya, Spain | Xarello, Muscat
Fresh, aromatic and joyfully wild, this white pet nat from Catalonia captures summer in a bottle. Made from indigenous Xarello and Muscat with no added sulphites. Perfect with lighter fare, seafood or as an aperitif to kick off a long, relaxed dinner.
Try: Testalonga I Am The Ninja Pet Nat
Swartland, South Africa | Chenin Blanc
Old-vine Chenin Blanc from Craig Hawkins with bright green apples, sourdough notes, zippy minerality and a blast of citrus and pear. Brilliant with oysters, sushi or anything with clean, bright flavours. Low at 10%, so it works through a whole meal.
Try: Tuff Nutt Pet Nat, Delinquente Wine Co
Riverland, South Australia | Bianco d'Alessano
Big tropical fruit, a bit of melon and almost savoury on the finish. Fun, juicy and with a dry finish, coming in at 9.5% so you can drink it all day. Made from an Italian grape variety grown in the only vineyard planting it in Australia. Brilliant with Asian food, fried things or just on its own in the sun.
Rosé pet nat food pairings
Rosé pet nat is slightly more structured than white, with more red fruit character and often a gentle tannin that gives it more grip at the table. It is the most versatile of the pet nat styles and the one that works across the widest range of dishes.
- CHARCUTERIE: Cured ham, salami, bresaola, prosciutto: the salty, savoury, fatty character of cured meat alongside the fresh red fruit and gentle acidity of a rosé pet nat is a pairing that almost everyone enjoys. Add some pickles and a good loaf and you have a proper meal.
- PIZZA: The acidity of the pet nat cuts through the cheese and the dough, and the red fruit character in the wine complements tomato-based sauces. A rosé pet nat alongside a margherita or a Neapolitan pizza with good ingredients is one of the most enjoyable casual food and wine pairings going.
- GRILLED FISH AND SEAFOOD: Particularly with more full-flavoured fish like salmon, tuna or mackerel. The structure of a rosé pet nat can handle more robust flavours than a delicate white.
- SUMMER FOOD: Salads with grilled chicken, anything from a barbecue, roasted vegetables with good olive oil and herbs. Rosé pet nat is made for warm evenings and outdoor eating.
Try: I Did, Did I Pet Nat, Chateau Picoron
Bordeaux, France | Merlot
A Bordeaux pet nat made from 100% Merlot, described by the winemakers as dangerously delicious. Tart raspberry and rhubarb, a slight herbaceous note of strawberry leaf, and a touch of graphite minerality. Fine effervescence and light tannic grip make it perfect with cheese and charcuterie. A brilliant wine for all seasons.
Try: Weeping Juan Rosé Pet Nat, Delinquente Wine Co
Riverland, South Australia | Vermentino, Nero d'Avola
Tutti-fruity pink pet nat with a nose of sweet berries, lime and sea spray. Raspberry lolly fruitiness on the palate, dry, with acidity accentuated by fine bubbles. A great introduction to the style and one that works brilliantly with pizza, grilled prawns or a simple charcuterie board.
Try: Caiaffa Rosato Pet Nat
Puglia, Italy
Pale pink, fine bubbles, natural sediment. Ripe strawberries and raspberries, floral rose notes and delicate yeasty undertones. Dry, fresh and tangy with vibrant acidity and a subtle mineral finish. From organically farmed grapes on calcareous soils in Italy's deep south. One of the best-value rosé pet nats we stock.
Red pet nat food pairings
Red pet nat is the most unusual and most underappreciated style. It has the tannin and fruit of a red wine alongside the freshness and fizz of a sparkling wine, which means it can do things that neither a still red nor a conventional sparkling can quite manage.
Serve it cool, not cold. Around 14 to 16 degrees is ideal. Cold temperature amplifies tannin, which is the last thing you want in a wine that is already more structured than other pet nats.
- MUSHROOM DISHES: The earthy, umami character of mushrooms on toast, mushroom pasta, or a wild mushroom risotto alongside a red pet nat is a pairing with real depth. The earthiness in the wine amplifies the earthiness in the food.
- LIGHT RED MEAT: Grilled lamb chops, duck breast, a simple steak: a red pet nat with good structure can handle red meat without being overwhelmed by it, and the freshness keeps the pairing lively rather than heavy.
- STRONG CHEESE: A ripe washed-rind cheese, a good aged cheddar, or a piece of Manchego alongside a red pet nat is a combination that rewards experimentation.
Try: Maupertuis Pet Nat Pink Bulles
Auvergne, France | Gamay
From a little-known region in central France bordered by extinct volcanoes, the mineral-rich volcanic soil brings stony notes and subdued strawberry flavours. Old-vine Gamay from the 1970s, with surprising flavours of blood orange, bitter grapefruit and amaro. One of the most interesting pet nats we stock. Brilliant with mushroom dishes, earthy food or a strong cheese board.
Try: Roc'Ambulle Pet Nat, Domaine Le Roc
Fronton, France | Négrette
Made from Négrette, a rare indigenous grape from the Fronton appellation near Toulouse. Lively and characterful, with the kind of regional personality that makes natural wine worth exploring. Serve slightly cool with charcuterie, grilled lamb or mushroom dishes.
Extra: Pet Nat & Cheese pairing
Sparkling wine and cheese is one of the great food and wine combinations, and pet nat is no exception. So here's a few extra pairings that work particularly well:
- Fresh goat's cheese alongside a white or rosé pet nat. The tanginess of the cheese and the acidity of the wine mirror each other beautifully.
- Burrata or fresh mozzarella with a white pet nat. The creamy, milky texture of the cheese against the gentle fizz of the wine is a simple combination that always delivers.
- Brie or camembert with a rosé pet nat. The richer, more savoury character of a soft rind cheese needs the structure of a rosé to handle it. A white pet nat will get lost.
- Aged hard cheese, manchego or aged cheddar, with a red pet nat. The tannic grip of a red pet nat is the right match for the intensity of an aged hard cheese.
Avoid very pungent washed-rind cheeses with lighter pet nats. The wine will be overwhelmed. If the cheese is powerful, reach for the most structured bottle you have.
The easiest pet nat food pairing rule
If you want one rule to take away from this guide, it is this: when in doubt, open a rosé pet nat. It is the most versatile style, the most food-friendly across a range of dishes, and the one that almost everyone enjoys regardless of where they normally sit in the red versus white debate. Start there, and explore from that point.
Explore our pet nat collection
We stock one of the best selections of pet nat in East London, from entry-level bottles that are brilliant introductions to the style, to more serious expressions from producers we have been following for years. Browse our full pet nat wine collection online, or come into the shop in Walthamstow and we will find the right bottle for whatever you are eating.
You might also enjoy our guide to sparkling wine for a broader look at the different styles and methods, or our natural wine collection if you want to explore more of what we do best.
