From a single vineyard in the Swan Valley. Clandestine Vineyard’s Pet Nat. Petillant Naturale: AKA ‘rurale,’ ‘artisanale,’ or ‘gaillacoise.’ Unfinished fermenting wine goes into a bottle, capped and as the yeasts do their thing (die) the resulting carbon dioxide is trapped and hey presto, bubbles!

Clandestine Vineyards, Break Free, Bliss Bomb, Pet Nat, Chenin Blanc, Swan Valley, 2023

Cloudy straw yellow. Barley sugar, hessian blanket, lemon curd, sparkling antacid*, crushed ginger and freshly crushed apple flesh. Slightly chalky texture with bittersweet apple and citrus flesh. Doughy and yeasty overtones with sharp green apple acidity. Light mousse and sort finish. Still has some remnants of the grape to drive as a match for popcorn chicken or buffalo wings.

RRP: $38
Alc: 11%
Rating: 87/100

Wine sample courtesy of Clandestine Vineyard

*totally a product of my youth, but there was a thing called dexel, that was a foaming antacid. White plastic bottle. Blue lid. Can’t find a picture anywhere. There’s a thing called Salvital which is pretty much the same. And Wards Saline as well.