Pineau des Charentes Blanc

Ned Halley in the Western Daily Press, August 2010 says:

Pineau des Charentes is one of the curiosities of French winemaking. Made under it's own appellation contrôlée since 1935, it is the classic aperitif of the town and region of Cognac, made to a simple recipe: two parts of fresh grape juice to one of brandy. It can be delicious, a refreshing blend of grapy sweetness with the pungent ardour of the spirit. The name pineau is a bit of a mystery - no one even in the Cognac trade can explain to me why it is known by a word that translates literally as 'pine water'. The topographical part of the name is simpler: it's the plural 'des Charentes' because the grapes and the brandy can come from either (or both) of two distinct producing areas, Charentes, and Charentes Maritimes. In the bars of this hospitable region, they serve pineau straight from the fridge. The drink is as clear and bright as wine (or cognac) with colours ranging from a white-wine-like paleness to the copper-gold of the grandest, longest-matured brands. The spirit, or eau-de-vie, used in pineau is young, newly distilled, and consequently colourless. Pineau is regrettably scarce in Britain. None of the supermarkets stock it, but I am very pleased to have found a good example at Wiltshire wine merchants Yapp Brothers. Domaine de Gardrat Pineau des Charentes Blanc at £11.25 is a delightful introduction to the style, pale gold in colour with an aroma suggesting sweet apples as well as ripe grapes, and a heady ardour - stimulating and reassuring all at once. I have also tried the longer-aged Gardrat des Pineau des Charentes Réserve at £18.50 from Yapps, which is copper-coloured, silky and finely balanced between fruit and fire - a fabulous aperitif.

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