2020 Piggy Pop

Tim Wildman is British, a Master of Wine and in charge of a company that does educational trips to Australia for wine professionals, apart from making his own pet’nats. He started in 2014 and in the beginning claims to have had no idea what he was doing. But after the first vintages, Tim figured out how to work both in the vineyard and the cellar.

His Nero d’Avola, Fiano and Zibibbo grow in Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and Riverland, which he has found are ideal for pet’nats, as they withstand heat and drought much better than for example the classic Rhône grape varieties. This means that he can harvest grapes that have the perfect ripeness with relatively low alcohol and the acidity still intact.

In the cellar, the grapes ferment in a temperature-controlled steel tank without any additives – sulphur included. The wine is bottled when the residual sugar hits 12 grams per litre after which second fermentation takes place in the bottle and the wine is released without prior disgorging. Tim Wildman’s wines are always fun, refreshing and easy to drink, yet they have an extra layer of something a little more serious and structured that you rarely find in this type of wine.