Piquette is a low-alcohol, lightly sparkling wine-style drink made from re-fermented grape pomace: the skins, seeds, stems, and pulp left over after pressing grapes for wine. The pomace is rehydrated with water, and sometimes sugar, honey, cider, or another fermentable addition, then allowed to ferment a second time. The result is fresh, fizzy, lower in alcohol than most wine, and rooted in one of the oldest zero-waste traditions in winemaking.
What piquette is, and what it is not
Piquette sits somewhere between wine, farmhouse refreshment, and sustainable winemaking. It starts with grapes, but not in the same way wine does.
Traditional wine is made from fresh grape juice. Grapes are harvested, crushed or pressed, and the juice ferments into wine. Piquette begins after that first winemaking step is already finished. Once the grapes have been pressed, the leftover pomace still contains colour, flavour, acidity, tannin, yeast, and small amounts of sugar. Instead of composting that material right away, a winemaker can add water and ferment it again.
That second fermentation produces piquette.
Piquette is wine in spirit. It comes from winegrowing material, it ferments, and it is made by winemakers. But it is not the same as conventional wine because it is made from pomace rather than full-strength grape juice. It is usually lighter, lower in alcohol, less concentrated, and often gently sparkling.
Piquette is also not pet-nat.
Pet-nat, short for pétillant naturel, is wine made from fresh grape juice and bottled before fermentation finishes, creating natural bubbles in the bottle. Piquette is made from grape pomace after the main wine has already been pressed. Both can be fizzy, fresh, and associated with natural wine, but they are different categories.
The simplest rule is this: wine is made from full grape juice. Pet-nat is wine bottled before fermentation finishes. Piquette is made from what is left after wine is pressed.
How piquette is made
Piquette begins with normal winemaking.
First, grapes are pressed for wine. The juice goes on to become the primary wine. After pressing, the winery is left with pomace: skins, seeds, stems, pulp, and the last traces of juice.
Most wineries compost pomace, feed it to livestock, send it to a distillery, or discard it. Piquette gives that material a second life.
The pomace is moved into a fermentation vessel and rehydrated. Traditionally, this was done with water. Some producers add sugar, honey, juice, or another fermentable ingredient to give the second fermentation enough fuel. The mixture begins fermenting again, extracting remaining colour, flavour, texture, and aroma from the pomace.
After that second fermentation, the liquid is pressed again, settled, racked, and bottled. Some piquettes are bottled still, but many are lightly sparkling. Bubbles can come from bottle conditioning, where fermentation continues in the bottle and naturally produces carbonation.
At Traynor, Ophelia Original Piquette takes a slightly different path. Instead of relying only on straight water, Mike adds local apple cider to the blend. That adds concentration, acidity, and flavour while helping reduce the need for added sugar. It also gives Ophelia part of its signature aromatic profile: bright fruit, apple cider notes, and a fresh, prickly finish.
Piquette vs wine vs pet-nat
| Category | Piquette | Wine | Pet-Nat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source | Re-fermented grape pomace | Fresh grape juice | Fresh grape juice |
| Alcohol | Usually 4-9% ABV | Usually 11-14% ABV | Usually 8-12% ABV |
| Process | Pomace plus water or fermentable addition, then re-fermented | Single fermentation from grape juice | Single fermentation finished in bottle |
| Sparkling? | Often lightly sparkling | Usually still, sometimes sparkling | Naturally sparkling |
| Style | Light, fresh, casual, lower alcohol | Broad range of styles | Bright, fizzy, often cloudy |
| Sustainability angle | Gives pomace a second use | Standard wine process | Standard wine process |
| Historical role | Farmhouse and vineyard-worker drink | Main wine product | Ancestral sparkling method |
Piquette is often grouped with natural wine because it tends to be low-intervention, fresh, lightly fizzy, and practical. But its defining feature is not cloudiness, funkiness, or trendiness. Its defining feature is pomace.
For a deeper look at how pet-nat is made and where it differs, read our pet-nat guide.
A short history of piquette
Piquette is old. Very old.
The idea goes back to the ancient world, when Roman farms made a drink called lora by adding water to pressed grape pomace. This was not the prized wine served at important tables. It was a practical, low-alcohol drink made from what remained after the better wine had been taken.
That pattern continued across European wine regions for centuries. In France, piquette became associated with vineyard workers and rural households. In Italy, similar drinks were known by names such as vinello. The practice was simple: after pressing the grapes, add water to the leftovers, extract what remained, and make a lighter drink for everyday consumption.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, piquette was part of vineyard labour culture. Workers who could not afford the finished wine they helped produce could still drink something made from the same harvest. It was not glamorous. It was practical, refreshing, and tied to the economics of rural winemaking.
By the 20th century, industrialized wine production, tighter regulations, changing labour practices, and the rise of branded wine pushed piquette into obscurity. In many regions, it became a historical footnote.
The modern revival began in the natural wine world. In North America, Wild Arc Farm in New York's Hudson Valley is widely credited with helping bring piquette back into contemporary wine culture. Producers saw what the old farmhouse method could offer a new generation of drinkers: lower alcohol, less waste, bright flavours, and a more casual relationship with wine.
In 2019, Traynor released Ophelia Original Piquette, Ontario's first commercial piquette. That makes Ophelia part of the modern revival, but also part of a much older story: using every possible part of the harvest.
Why piquette is having a moment
Piquette is growing because it solves several modern wine problems at once.
First, it is naturally lower in alcohol. Most piquette falls around 4-9% ABV, compared with many table wines in the 11-14% range. For drinkers who want something lighter, fresher, and more sessionable, piquette makes sense.
Second, it fits the zero-waste direction of modern food and beverage. Pomace is not useless. It still contains flavour, colour, acidity, and texture. Piquette captures some of that remaining value before the pomace moves on to compost, livestock feed, distillation, or another use.
Third, piquette is usually more affordable than many natural wines. Because it uses second-use material from the winemaking process, it can often be sold at a more accessible price point.
Fourth, it is casual. Piquette does not need ceremony. It can be poured into a wine glass, a tumbler, or taken to a picnic. It works with lunch, snacks, brunch, fried food, oysters, soft cheeses, and anything that benefits from freshness and bubbles.
The modern wine world has spent a long time making wine feel complicated. Piquette moves in the opposite direction. It is light, useful, refreshing, and rooted in practical farming.
How piquette tastes
Piquette is usually lighter and brighter than wine. It has less concentration because it is made from pomace rather than full-strength juice. That is part of the point.
Expect freshness over depth. Red and rosé piquettes often show strawberry, raspberry, cherry, watermelon, rhubarb, cranberry, or red currant. White piquettes may lean toward citrus, apple, pear, melon, herbs, or flowers. Many have a gentle tartness or tangy edge, which connects to the French root of the word piquette: something that pricks or tingles.
Texture matters too. Piquette is often lightly sparkling, giving it a prickly, refreshing palate. Tannin is usually lower than in red wine, and alcohol is lower as well. The best versions feel energetic rather than thin.
Traynor's Ophelia Original Piquette is 7.2% ABV with 3 g/L residual sugar. It shows strawberry and apple cider on the nose, with a light, prickly palate and a strawberry-rhubarb finish. It is made from a broad pomace blend and finished with local apple cider, giving it more fruit concentration than a simple water-only piquette.
How to drink piquette
Serve piquette well chilled. A good range is about 7-11°C, similar to how you might serve sparkling wine, rosé, or cider.
Glassware does not need to be formal. A wine glass works. A tumbler works. A picnic cup works. Piquette belongs to the everyday side of wine.
It is especially good with food that likes acidity and bubbles. Try it with charcuterie, soft cheeses, summer salads, fried chicken, fish and chips, raw oysters, shrimp, brunch dishes, tacos, salty snacks, or picnic food.
It can also work as a spritz base. Add ice, soda water, citrus, herbs, or a splash of vermouth for a lower-alcohol wine spritz.
Drink piquette fresh. It is not made for long cellaring. Most bottles are best enjoyed within a year of release, while the fruit, bubbles, and acidity are still lively.
Traynor's piquette: Ophelia
Ophelia Original Piquette is Traynor Family Vineyard's flagship piquette and Ontario's first commercial piquette, first released in 2019.
It is light, naturally sparkling, lower in alcohol, and built around the zero-waste idea that pomace still has something to give.
Ophelia Original Piquette details:
- Style: Light, naturally sparkling piquette
- Alcohol: 7.2% ABV
- Residual sugar: 3 g/L
- Pomace base: A broad blend of wine grape pomace
- Special technique: Local apple cider added instead of only straight water
- Tasting notes: Strawberry and apple cider on the nose, light prickly palate, strawberry-rhubarb finish
- Availability: Direct from Traynor Family Vineyard and at the LCBO under SKU 44557
Ophelia is part of Traynor's wider zero-waste project: finding new value in the materials that winemaking leaves behind.
Frequently asked questions
What is piquette made from?
Piquette is made from grape pomace, which is the skins, seeds, stems, and pulp left over after pressing grapes for wine. The pomace is rehydrated with water or another fermentable addition, then fermented again.
Is piquette wine?
Piquette is wine-adjacent and made from real winegrowing material, but legal classification varies by jurisdiction. In practical terms, most drinkers understand it as a low-alcohol wine-style beverage made by re-fermenting grape pomace.
Is piquette the same as pet-nat?
No. Pet-nat is made from fresh grape juice and bottled before fermentation finishes. Piquette is made from re-fermented grape pomace after wine has already been pressed.
How is piquette different from wine?
Wine is made from fresh grape juice. Piquette is made from the leftover pomace after pressing grapes for wine. Piquette is usually lower in alcohol, lighter in body, and often lightly sparkling.
How much alcohol is in piquette?
Most piquette is around 4-9% ABV. Traynor's Ophelia Original Piquette is 7.2% ABV.
Where did piquette come from?
The idea goes back to ancient Rome, where a similar drink called lora was made from pressed grape pomace and water. The tradition continued for centuries in European vineyard regions as a practical farmhouse and vineyard-worker drink.
Why is piquette making a comeback?
Piquette is returning because it fits two major shifts in wine: lower-alcohol drinking and waste reduction. It is fresh, casual, affordable, and uses pomace that would otherwise move directly to compost, livestock feed, distillation, or disposal.
Is piquette sweet or dry?
Most modern piquette is dry to off-dry. Sweetness depends on how much residual sugar remains after fermentation. Traynor's Ophelia is dry, with 3 g/L residual sugar.
Is piquette vegan?
Many piquettes are vegan, including Traynor's Ophelia. As with any wine product, check with the producer if this matters to you, because some wineries may use animal-derived fining agents.
How long does piquette last?
Piquette is best enjoyed fresh, usually within one year of release. It is made for brightness, bubbles, and refreshment, not long-term aging.
Closing
Want to taste the wine-style drink that has been around since ancient Rome and is now having its modern revival? Try Ophelia Original Piquette, Ontario's first commercial piquette since 2019. Available at the LCBO under SKU 44557, direct from Traynor Family Vineyard, or at the vineyard in Hillier.
