New HOOPA Pet Nat

Introducing Cantina Pizzolato HOOPA Pet Nat – A “PIWI” Varietal Wine

Cantina Pizzolato is proud to present their newest innovation, HOOPA Pet Nat, made with eco-friendly PIWI grapes. Pizzolato’s ongoing search for the best wines that nature can provide resulted in the creation of HOOPA. The truly natural wine is born of the luscious Johanniter PIWI grape varietal that is resistant to climatical conditions that can impair organic production. The resulting wine is original, authentic and has a lower overall environmental impact.

HOOPA is a white sparkling “Pétillant Naturel” or Pet Nat for short. Classic white vinification takes place at a controlled temperature using only indigenous yeasts. After malolactic fermentation, the addition of must kicks off a second fermentation that takes place in the bottle. The bottles are stored for approximately two months in a controlled environment at 59° F as the secondary fermentation takes place.

HOOPA Pet Nat is made with the Unique Johanniter Variety

HOOPA is made of 100% Organic Johanniter grapes, and has a pleasant 11% alcohol. Floral notes of wisteria can be found on the nose. On the palate, the wine delivers citrus hints and distinctive tropical notes, such as pineapple. Persistent trains of bubbles liven this harmonious and smooth white Pet Nat. The wine is unfiltered resulting in natural sediment from the natural yeasts in the bottle. Tip the bottle gently a few times and enjoy!

Due to its organoleptic, highly sensorial characteristics and notes, Pizzolato suggests experimenting with equally unconventional food pairings. HOOPA Pet Nat is a great companion for aperitifs and ethnic foods that are as unique as the wine itself.

What Are “PIWI” Grapes Used in HOOPA Pet Nat?

“PIWI” is a German abbreviation for Pilzwiderstandfähig and stands for fungus-resistant grape varieties. These were created by crossing European grape varieties and American fungus resistant varietals. Most of them still are known as hybrids or interspecific varietals and were first used in France from 1880 to 1935. The aim was to combine the good resistance to diseases and phylloxera of the American grape varieties with the high quality of European varietals.

From PIWI International: “The fungus-resistant vines are originally made Crossroads between Vitis vinifera and other species of the genus Vitis (resistant to fungal disease). The excellent properties for high wine quality of the noble vines can be combined with the resistance from the American vines. Specific cultivation and selection aim at developing new innovative grape varieties that make winegrowing more sustainable and meet the future challenges in the vineyard.

PIWIS are not the product of trans- or cis-gener manipulation. They are obtained by means of classic cross-breeding by artificially pollinating the castrated flowers of a “mother variety” with the pollen of a “father variety”. The seeds of the resulting berries contain the “newly combined” genetic information. These seeds are sown, seedlings are created – new plants. The advantage is the minimum number of treatments carried out and the consequent environmental impact for their cultivation.”

For Pizzolato, the PIWI grapes lend themselves perfectly to certified organic vineyard management, using far fewer organic treatments for fungus, such as copper, which is often necessary in the Veneto region. The region has a warm climate with moderate rainfall, but the vineyards are mostly on a lower, flatter plain, and often experience rolling fog, increasing the vineyard’s risk of mildew, rot, and fungal diseases. The fungus-resistant PIWI grapes are well-suited for these climatical challenges of the region.

The Origins of the HOOPA Name

The fantasy HOOPA name comes from the language Hupa or Hoopa “language of the Hoopa Valley people” belongs to the Athabaskalanguage family (of the Na- Denésuperfamily), spoken by the Hupa people, along the bottom of the Trinity River in Northwest California, and, before contacts with Europeans, also from the Chilula and Whilkut. For Pizzolato the name brings a mythical and adventurous feeling to this unique wine: “A place always imagined that sometimes looks veiled in dreams, but when you look at it from a different perspective, it reveals itself in all its splendor.” We know that HOOPA will certainly translate to delicious in any language.

About Pizzolato

Five generations of history and traditions, Cantina Pizzolato has a long commitment of organic production since ’80s, respecting the genuineness of the wine and the high quality of the grapes. The winery was one of the first in Italy to become certified organic in 1991. These are the solid roots to which the Pizzolato family is linked and on which the entire production philosophy of the company is based. Settimo Pizzolato was certainly one of the first winemakers to choose an organic, vegan and sustainable management of the winery, in order to produce wines that meet the expectations of consumers who are particularly attentive to their health. Their outstanding wines are produced with grapes grown in an uncontaminated environment, without the use of chemicals or animal products. The winery uses only “green manure” derived from plants. The resulting wines are Certified Vegan from vine to glass.

The winery’s goal is to meld in with the surrounding area, in a continuous dialogue between knowledge, respect and well-being which are the principles of the organic lifestyle. The newly built winery is a 100% green building, Their goal from the beginning was not only the conversion to organic production, but to rediscover the ancestral link between man and earth. Pizzolato is focused on continuous research and experimentation – including today the resistant vineyards of PIWI grapes – towards a 100% sustainable agriculture, beyond the organic world.