Pet-nat is a term increasingly bandied about in bottleshops, particularly those of the natural variety. But what is it exactly? Don’t be intimidated, for the fizzy alcoholic beverage is in essence not that far from Champagne, explains natural wine guru Joel Amos of drnks.com.

“Pétillant naturel [pet nat for short] is a type of sparkling wine,” he says. “It’s pretty ancient and predates the Champagne method. The wines are often more fun, lighter in style, and much more reasonably priced than Champagne.”

But the flavour of pet-nat differs to that of traditional Champagne, in short it’s funkier. “I’d say it has more similarities to cider than wine,” Amos says of its closest sibling in the alcoholic realm, which is thanks in part to its creation process. “The wines are put to bottle before they finish primary fermentation. This means once in the bottle, there is still sugar left to ferment. This secondary fermentation has a by product; bubbles.”