29407972 M&S Pet Nat England 2023

Pet Nat is short for ‘Pétillant Naturel’, the wine finishes fermentation in the bottle, leaving the yeast sediment to add flavours, creaminess and bubbles. Made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris grapes grown at Heppington Vineyard, bordering the Kent Downs, this is an unfiltered, slightly funky style. Hazy, dusky pink, bone dry and sparkling with savoury notes of wild strawberries, cranberries, almonds and blossom. To serve, chill well, gently swirl the bottle (don’t shake), flip the cap off and pour slowly into a glass.

In 2016 Henry Blaxland, inspired by his pioneering family history, planted 6.25 hectares of vines on farm land on the edge of the Kent Downs, which has been in the family for generations. The resulting Heppington Vineyard, located in the Garden of England, was formerly one of the best sites locally for growing blackcurrants. Frost free with well drained chalk, limestone and flint soil, it is also ideal for grape growing. Later ripening than the surrounding farms, the fruit benefits from the slower maturation, retaining the acidity perfect for sparkling wine. https://heppingtonvineyard.co.uk

Pressed and cold settled before being racked and inoculated with bespoke selected yeast. Temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation with daily checks to ensure a healthy ferment. Racked off yeast lees and blended before filtration. Bespoke tirage culture started and inoculated in the wine to continue fermentation after bottling. Secondary fermentation to dryness in bottle. No disgorgement takes place. The yeast forms a flavoursome sediment in the bottle.

Fermented in bottle