Austrian Pink Pet-Nat Wine

Weingut Zull is located in Scrattenthal, the smallest wine town in Austria, north of Vienna near the border with the Czech Republic. The vineyards are roughly at the same latitude as the French wine-growing region of Alsace. The town may be small, but it has been around since 1220. 

Winemaker Phillip Zull has decades of experience in the region and a worldwide mission of learning which took him to places like Burgundy, New Zealand, and Oregon. His family works the land and harvests the grapes by hand. The vineyards are sustainable and they use no herbicides or artificial fertilizers on their vines. The vineyards around Schrattenthal are at elevations approaching 1,300 feet, with ancient, granite soils. Zull says he makes wine for life, not collectors.

The Zull Rosé Ancestrale Petillant Naturel from 2022 is a sparkling wine made with a single, slow fermentation under pressure. The grapes are 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Zweigelt. Alcohol is refreshingly low, at 11% abv, and the retail price is about $16. 

This wine has a salmon pink color in the glass, and in the clear bottle. There is a hefty dose of pinkish-white foam on the pour. The nose is complex, shoring aromas of cherry, apple, Meyer lemon, and tangerine, all with an earthy minerality. The palate is sweet and delicious. Flavors of strawberry, cherry, peach, and quince are a treat, as is the zesty acidity. You can pair it with a mild cheese, a fruit tart, or a bag of potato chips, if you like. But it is really made for sipping, and is quite enjoyable that way.  

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Wine Country Texas - Pedernales Cellars

Pedernales Cellars is run by a family of sixth-generation Texans who specialize in making wine from Spanish grapes varieties and those from the Rhône Valley. Tempranillo and Viognier are their red and white flagship wines, but I got the chance to taste a really wonderful - and a bit unusual - sparkling rosé.

Pedernales Cellars Kyla Texas Hill Country Sparkling Wine is actually a Petillant Naturel - carbonated during primary fermentation - which opens up quite fizzy from under its bottle cap closure. The folks at Pedernales say Kyla is pronounced "shoola" by their Swedish relatives. It means "chill," and it offers the perfect opportunity to do so this summer. "Pedernales," by the way, was pronounced "Perdnales" by Lady Bird Johnson, so there are some linguistic tricks to learn in order to appreciate this Hill Country wine from Stonewall, Texas. It has an alcohol mark at a very reasonable 11.5% abv and it retails for $35.

This 2020 Tempranillo sparkler shows a beautiful salmon orange color, along with a nose of strawberries, an herbal quality and tangerine peel. The palate lays out red cherry flavors laced with citrus minerality and a razor-sharp acidity which really refreshes. It is bold and even brawny, in a way - unusual for a sparkling rosé but entirely welcome.

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