Sol Riesling Pet Nat 2023 | Ark Wines @ Mount Farm Vineyards

A lively, naturally sparkling Riesling from one of Suffolk's most exciting small producers.

Pet Nat - short for pétillant naturel - is about as natural as sparkling wine gets. Rather than adding yeast and sugar after fermentation to create bubbles artificially, the wine is bottled before fermentation is fully complete, trapping the natural CO2 inside.

The result is a lively, gently sparkling wine with a character you won't find in conventional fizz - a little hazy, a little wild, and full of the personality of the grape and the place it came from.

Ark's Sol Pet Nat is made from Riesling grown at their estate in Shimpling on the Suffolk-Essex border - the same site where the vines are tended, the grapes are picked by hand, and every stage of winemaking happens under one solar-powered roof.

• Producer: Ark Wines @ Mount Farm Vineyards, Shimpling, Suffolk
• Vintage: 2023
• Style: Pétillant naturel (naturally sparkling), unfiltered
• ABV: 11%

Grape & Dietary Info

Grape: Riesling

Allergens: Contains sulphites

Dietary: Vegan; unfiltered and unfined - naturally hazy, some sediment may be present

FAQs

What is a Pet Nat?
Pétillant naturel (or Pet Nat) is a method of making sparkling wine that predates Champagne. The wine is bottled before fermentation finishes, so the remaining natural sugars create the bubbles inside the bottle - no added yeast, no added sugar, no disgorgement. The result is a softer, more textured fizz with a naturally hazy appearance.

Why Riesling?
Riesling has been grown successfully in England for decades and suits the Pet Nat style well - it brings fresh acidity and floral aromatics that translate beautifully into naturally sparkling wine. Ark's Suffolk site produces a Riesling with real character, and the minimal intervention approach lets the grape speak for itself.

What makes Ark Wines different?
Most small English vineyards send their grapes to a contract winery to be made into wine - Ark do everything themselves, on-site, from the moment the grapes are picked by hand to bottling and packaging. The whole winery runs on solar power, vineyard machinery runs on solar-charged batteries, and they're actively working towards eliminating fossil fuel use on site entirely. It's genuinely low-impact winemaking - not just in terms of air miles, but right through the whole process.