Oh when the Saints 2021 – Pet Nat from Weingut Gernot Heinrich
The Gernot Heinrich Pet Nat Oh when the Saints 2021 is a sparkling Blanc de Noir made from the red Sankt Laurent grape. It is part of the Freyheit series of natural wines that Gernot and Heike Heinrich "let happen" on their winery. This incredibly invigorating Pet Nat shows refreshing aromas of quince, Nashi pear, and mandarin peel, with notes of white tea and hay flowers adding to the complexity. On the palate, it is juicy-sparkling with a crisp acidity, gentle tannins, and a creaminess owed to the yeast.
The Pet Nat Oh When the Saints owes its spirited name to its grape variety, Sankt (Saint) Laurent. This early-ripening grape variety is ideally suited for sparkling wine production: its thin skin yields good results during direct pressing, and since it has a relatively low initial must weight of 16° KMW, the alcohol content in the final product is not too high. This makes you want a second or third glass.
The label, designed by Viennese artist Olaf Osten, features the Swedish jazz musician Mats Gustafsson. This completes the circle of pure affirmation of life and carefree drinkability.
The Heinrich PetNat is the winner of the Vinaria PetNat Tasting 2022.
Gernot Heinrich – Winemaking
The Sankt Laurent grapes, harvested by hand in mid-September 2021, come from the Rosenberg vineyard, an east-facing slope in Breitenbrunn am Leithagebirge strongly characterized by mica schist. Heike and Gernot Heinrich cultivate the vineyards organically-biologically, biodynamically according to the guidelines of Respekt and Demeter, and with a great deal of manual work and care. After the harvest, direct pressing takes place. Through subsequent must cooling, Gernot gives the must time for the sediments to settle before spontaneous fermentation begins. At the beginning of October 2021, after three weeks in stainless steel tanks, the still-fermenting must is bottled, where it continues to ferment and develop a fine perlage. The residual sugar still present is responsible for the carbonation of the resulting PetNat. From March 2022, the finished PetNat is disgorged.
Pét-Nat is the short form of Pétillant Naturel. An old, original method of sparkling wine production, also known as Méthode Ancestrale, which originated in France. Unlike traditional sparkling wine production, which involves a first and second fermentation, the must is bottled and sealed while still fermenting, so that the carbon dioxide formed with the residual sugar cannot escape, and the must can complete its (first) fermentation. Often, the remaining natural yeast would stay in the bottle as a deposit. Heike and Gernot Heinrich prefer disgorging, which frees the bottle from yeast residues.
Pet Nat – a sparkling wine and its characteristics
- Origin: Sparkling wine from Austria
- Grape variety: Sankt Laurent
- 11.0% vol. Alcohol
- 6.3 g/l Acidity
- 7.9 g/l Residual sugar
Organic Control Body BIO-AT-402 Austria Agriculture