Picpoul de Pinet
September 4, 2009 at 10:05 am by Lex
Wine offers us (the folks who work at 3CUPS) a
fascinating topic of conversation. This weekly newsletter is our
way to include you in our discussion. What makes our subject so
rich and interesting is the fact that we can each taste what we are
talking about. And you can as well, today and tomorrow, for
free!
This week we have a wine you
won't find at the supermarket or on the shelves of the average wine
store. It is the kind of wine that tastes more expensive than it
is. Our excitement involves its unique flavors, and paying less for
something really great because the mass market doesn't recognize
the merits of an obscure wine like Picpoul de Pinet. I love the
racy brightne
ss
of this wine which comes from the Mediterranean coast, where it is
happily paired with local seafood.
Picpoul (pick-pool) is the name of the grape and one of my favorites to say, ranking right up there with Counoise from the Rhone. The wine is priced far below market value for a few reasons but the most pertinent one is Picpoul is a summer wine. With logistics involving containers and shipping, the wine missed the boat so to say. It should have been here months ago and because it's late the importer offered us a price intended to help it "fly" off the shelves. If you've spent as many Septembers in N.C. as I have, you know we have lots of hot days ahead and hey, I like this wine even when it's not hot outside
ss
of this wine which comes from the Mediterranean coast, where it is
happily paired with local seafood.Picpoul (pick-pool) is the name of the grape and one of my favorites to say, ranking right up there with Counoise from the Rhone. The wine is priced far below market value for a few reasons but the most pertinent one is Picpoul is a summer wine. With logistics involving containers and shipping, the wine missed the boat so to say. It should have been here months ago and because it's late the importer offered us a price intended to help it "fly" off the shelves. If you've spent as many Septembers in N.C. as I have, you know we have lots of hot days ahead and hey, I like this wine even when it's not hot outside
"Wine from the Piquepoul gris, commonly known as Picpoul, is one of the best white wines in the Midi."
G. Foex, 1886, Viticulture Professor
1. Where's it
from? It comes from the region in the south
of France called the Languedoc Rouisson. This region was once half
French (Languedoc) and half Spanish (Rouisson) but today the
combined land belongs to France. Picpoul de Pinet is a subregion
within the Coteaux du Languedoc appellation. It is unusual because
it is situated in an area which produces red wine, but Picpoul is a
white wine production zone and one of the oldest on the
Mediterranean dating back as far as the 17th
century.
2. What does it taste
like? The wine is fresh, bright, and faintly
sparkling. It comes from a soil of limestone, sand, and clay and
combines with the maritime influence to create a dramatic terroir
leaving it mark on these wines.
3. What
else? The wines believed to soon have
appellation status are 100% Picpoul, and all come in a distinctive
green bottle.
Lex Alexander
