Aperitif: Pineau des Charentes
| Darcy O'Neil :: December 1, 2006 1:05 PM |
The Cognac region of France has many great things to offer. Obviously Cognac is the most recognized product, win and champagne are also well known but there is also a product called Pineau de Charentes that is a combination of cognac and freshly pressed juice from very ripe grapes. This product is very common in the Cognac region of France, but the further you get from Cognac, the less know this product is. But really, it should be more well know because it has some great qualities and it differentiates itself from other wine based aperitifs. Best of all, it would work very well in cocktails.
The product of Pineau des Charentes, was like many things, a mistake. It was mistakenly created in 1589 when someone put fresh grape must in a barrel containing a small portion of cognac. Eventually the barrel was sampled and it was good. So good in fact that it has been produced ever since that fateful day.
The production of Pineau des Charentes is relatively simple. Very ripe grapes are harvested and pressed to produce a sweet must. This is then blended, within a few hours, with cognac to halt any fermentation of the must. The cognac must be aged at least one year to be used in the production. The final alcohol concentration must be between 16.5% and 22% alcohol to be named Pineau des Charentes. The mixture is then aged again for at least 18 months. Production is controlled under the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée 'vin de liqueur' classification, though it is not a wine in the ordinary sense.
Unlike other french aperitifs (Lillet and vermouth) this product is not wine based and doesn’t contain a bitter component. It is sweet like fresh grape juice, but with a good amount of alcohol to balance it out. There is also some acid to balance out the sweetness. It has a honey like flavour with lots of fruit notes. It finishes moderately crisp, but still sweet. Basically it is a rich, full bodied, sweet liqueur wine.
The Pineau des Charentes is not sweet like icewine, but still provides a lot of sweetness. This is what would make for great cocktails. Combining this with some sparkling wine would make a great aperitif. Using it to make a Manhattan style drink would also be interesting. It might be too sweet, but you never know until you try. Any cocktail combining fruit juices would work very well with this french aperitif. Also any wine based cocktails would be good combinations.
If you can find a bottle of this product I highly recommend picking one up.
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4 Comments on Aperitif: Pineau des Charentes
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Interesting write up. One day I'll try Pineau des Charentes.
Brian Van Flandern created the house cocktail at the very fancy NY restaurant "per se" using it, Cîroc vodka, and Grand Marnier Cuvée du Centenaire.
Most folks describe it as a subtly sweet vodka martini.
What a coincidence. I was just looking at the Pierre Fierrand Pineau the other day. I've been meaning to pick up a bottle since seeing the recipe for The Pompadour somewhere. Here's the Dave Wondrich version from the Esquire Drinks Database. He credits it to Frank Meier at the Ritz Hotel in Paris.
Pompadour
Shake well with cracked ice:
1½ oz St. James Martinique rum (amber)*
1½ oz Pineau des Charentes (red or white)
½ oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Hello !
I am Takeo and I live in the Charente (dept 16) in france, in the town of 16410 SERS, about 10 miles from Angoulême, about 40 miles from Cognac. We make our own traditional Pineau here.
What Darcy wrote is not quite correct.
First, one has the "Gnôle", the distillate of a white wine that only serves to make Cognac. That wine is not meant to be drunk and the alcohol from it is, on its own, quite disgusting.
To make real traditonal Pineau des Charentes, one mixes FRESH grape juice (not from particularly ripe grapes or so), WITHIN THE HOUR, with the "Gnôle". NOT WITH COGNAC.
The mix goes into a sulfated oak barrel and let stand for about one year.
Commercial Pineau (YUCK!) has indeed an "Appellation Contrôlée", but has nothing to do with Cognac. The Appellation has only to do with territorial boundaries as to ingredients.
Sincerely yours,
Takeo.
Great post.
Finally someone pay attention to the Pineau des Charentes.
It is serve in very exclusive bars or on demand only in few hotels.
We are a Three Star Hotel in Paris, and we hold a very unique collection of Pineau des Charentes.