Episode 192: Pet-Nat Chitchat With Michelle Miller of Esoteric Wine Bar
Michelle Miller of Reno’s Esoteric Wine Bar joins us for some peppy pét-nat chitchat. Pét-nat is short for pétillant naturel, a type of sparkling wine based on an ancient, natural method of capturing the sparkle a bottle of fermenting wine. We also touch on natural wines, Michelle’s journey from corporate world to wine bar manager, and a new Pod Quiz!
About Michelle
Michelle caught the wine bug many years ago when she stumbled into a weekly wine tasting and was convinced that Napa cab was the only wine worthy of drinking. Even with this narrow minded belief she was invited back to work the wine tasting each week where she started tasting everything to expand her pallet. This led in to a never ending quest to learn everything she could about the world of wine. She studied for many years and passed the Certified Sommelier, Certified Specialist of wine, Italian Wine Professional and California Wine Specialist and loves to learn more every day.
In the Glasses (8:00)
Michelle is sipping some sparkling wines that are at the center of this week’s discussion. The one she focused on during this segment was the Autour de L’Anne Wonder Womanne, NV by Anne Paillet, Languedoc, France. This one is a blend of Cinsault, Syrah and Grenache.
Val, meanwhile, is sipping water because she was heading out the door to work an event (2018 H20 de fridge, filtered, no freaking ice). She also acknowledges that she is in the throes of tasting her way through a 21-day beer advent calendar.
Pét-Whats? (10:37)
No, not pet rocks. Pét-nats (autocorrect would prefer “pet ants” here *giggle*). A pétillant naturel is a type of sparkling wine based on an ancient, more natural method of capturing the sparkle in a fermenting wine.
While the term can trace its roots to the Loire Valley, pét-nats can be made anywhere in the world. Michelle gives us a terrific description of the process and explains the key differences between Méthode Ancestrale (ancient method) and the production of pét-nats: primarily it comes down to the wine laws governing the appellation.
Pét-nats? They aren’t regulated by law, so the winemakers in France, for example, are free to use any grapes they wish. Another difference is the closure, so look for that crown cap (the same thing you’d find on a beer bottle).
Finally, Michelle tells us about how the Chenin-Blanc-based Montlouis-sur-Loire AOC boosted the legal labeling terms such as Pétillant Originel (original sparkling) in 2007. This was also done to allow producers to distinguish between traditional method sparkling wine, or Méthode Traditionelle, and pét-nat wines.
Esoterically speaking (22:25)
With the focus on natural wines and Michelle’s love for pét-nat and “geeking out”on unusual wines, it’s fair to say that she’s cultivated the perfect environment in which to thrive. She’s also found the perfect podcast on which to pontificate on these potables, would you say?
The West Street Market in downtown Reno features restaurants that pride themselves on local, organic cuisine, and Esoteric wine bar is the perfect pairing for the farm-to-table vibe.
Michelle says, “I try to bring in at least 2 new wines every week so if you are a regular there is something new to try all of the time. I am creating the wine bar that I would like to frequent as the world of wine is so vast, I want to drink something new every time I drink wine.”
It’s all natural?
As we note in the pét-nat discussion, the term “natural” is another one of those words we don’t see on the labels of what are marketed as “natural wines.”
While there are general agreements that these wines are made with minimal manipulation or intervention, the term “natural” is not regulated, and is not the same thing as organically grown grapes or bio-dynamic farming. Yet, natural wines do integrate these practices in their wine-making philosophies.
Contact
Resources
Wino Radar (27:40)
February 12th, 2019, Will Costello MS, will be guiding guests through a tasting of new and old world wines at Esoteric. Tickets go on sale in January.
On this week’s wino radar is some major excitement over the Wine Wit and Wisdom blog from the Society of Wine Educators (SWE). In this piece, we learn about PIWI grapes and what they mean to Austrian wine.
Check it out: https://winewitandwisdomswe.com/2018/11/28/new-grape-varieties-approved-for-austrian-wine/
Pod Quiz! (32:30)
Playing off the excitement (see how we do excitement here?!) of the previous segment, we decided to answer your request for a weekly pop quiz. Hence, the Pod Quiz!
This week we asked about the Darnibole PDO: where is it, what kind of wine is it, and what grapes are used to make it?
Answer will be linked up next week. And if anyone sees a T-shirt that says, “Ask me about the Darnibole PDO,” let us know.
Shoutout (33:38)
Big love and congratulations to our friend Elizabeth Yarbrudy, CWE. She is the first Venezuelan to have done so, and the first CWE in South America! Good news: we have a photo of Steph, Val, and Elizabeth together. Bad news: there are bunny ears and viking horns, and a whole bunch of silliness in said photo. So please see the link below for a normal photo.
http://winewitandwisdomswe.com/2018/12/05/on-the-radar-elizabeth-yabrudy-cwe/
Cheers to WTSO, Our Show Sponsor! (34:29)
Here’s where you get the best online price because WTSO will price match any bottles they have. We’ve mentioned the great customer service and how easy they are to use, and even talked with their COO a few weeks ago to get the 411 on how they do this so well. This service is also perfect for large orders, corporate gifting, and building out/expanding collections.
Our listeners have their very own listener page at: weeklytasting.com/W25 to sign up and get started!
Or just click on the WTSO logo on the top right of this web page.
Follow them on Instagram, FaceBook, and Twitter and see what’s new and good!
Patreon Love (35:16)
Thank you to our patrons who support us on our Patreon crowdfunding platform!
*We do read all the names on the show, and feature the list on our Support page.* Support Wine Two Five Podcast Your support helps fund monthly syndication & publication costs, equipment & software upgrades, shipping & marketing.
Connect (37:16)
Between each weekly chat you can find us on the social spaces @WineTwoFive, and play in our private FaceBook group called Wine Two Five Community!
Connect with Val on Twitter @WineGalUnboxed and everywhere else as @VinoWithVal.
Steph is in all the social spaces as @TheWineHeroine.
You can also find us on the My Wine Society App. There are also channels on travel, wellness, events, wineries and more.
