Drink of the Week: Mtsvane Estate Georgian Pét-Nat

Georgian wine has long been a staple at the dinner table, playing a key role in the country’s traditional supra feast. But it’s not all holidays, hearty food, and bold, heady sippers. Georgia’s sparkling wines are bright and elegant and make a delightful companion to summer fare. And so it was on a recent evening, I set the table for dinner in the backyard and popped a bottle of Mtsvane Estate Georgian Pét-Nat.

A sparkling rosé, the Mtsvane Estate Pét-Nat is made from 100-percent Saperavi, a red grape native to Georgia, and whose use dates back millennia. Focused solely on the production of sparkling wines, Mtsvane Estate, in the eastern region of Kakheti, Georgia, presses the grapes in whole bunches and ferments in stainless steel for seven to 10 days. The wine is then transferred to bottles where it finishes fermenting on the lees for seven months.

The resulting wine is a delicious representative of Georgian Pét-Nat, a newer realm of experimentation for a country whose winemaking traditions are some of the oldest in the world. The sparkler is bright and gently effervescent but with a bit more grip and tannic structure than is often found in a bubbly rosé. Juicy flavors of blackberry and cherry give way to a dry, barely savory finish. The Mtsvane Estate Georgian Pét-Nat is a thoroughly drinkable wine, especially at an easy-going 11-percent ABV. And considering the reasonable price tag, any occasion can be a celebration. $27.50, ghvinos.com