This is a bright, zippy white grape that hails from the south of France. One can see right away how this grape would match perfectly with the coastal, Mediterranean cuisine of the region–it tends to have vibrant citrus flavors, sometimes laced with pretty floral notes. It’s natural mouthwatering acidity gives the grape its name which translates as “stings the lip." Alongside that acid, these wines still tend to have body, with a roundness that gives them a tangy quality. It’s absolutely perfect for quenching your thirst on a hot day, not the least because Picpoul wines (also spelled Piquepoul) tend to be available at extremely wallet friendly prices.
The AOC Picpoul de Pinet is devoted entirely to this grape and is the largest white wine appellation in the Languedoc. I’ve covered several other wines from the Languedoc (like this one on Corbières and Minervois) but this appellation runs along the coast, separated from the Mediterranean Sea only by the Bassin de Thau, a 11 miles long lagoon. The area is not all that large but it has varied topography that grows more jagged and hilly as you travel north, and rolls more gently as you approach the sea. Apparently, the climate here (in particular near Montpellier) is so mild and lovely that flamingos happily make it there home–some don’t even bother travelling during the winter months.
It would seem that Picpoul seems content with the region as well, since it’s been a resident for quite a long time. According to Jancis Robinson’s Wine Grapes, the earliest mention of the Picpoul Blanc was in 1667. The soils in the area tend toward limestone and alluvial soils, with some significant sandy patches. It’s a good thing too that Picpoul likes the sand–it’s one of the factors that allowed it to survive the devastation of phylloxera, as this little bug does not care for it at all.
Picpoul does also come in Noir and Gris varieties, as well. The Gris version is nearly extinct, but the Noir is commonly used in blends. (However, I did briefly mention a really fun varietal Picpoul Noir bottling in this post.)
THE PAIRING
Our wine today is the Font-Mars Picpoul de Pinet 2016. This was sent as sample for participation in this month’s French Winophiles event, and I was excited to receive it as I was already familiar with Font-Mars’ Rosé (read about it here) and bought several bottles throughout the summer last year for tasty, budget friendly refreshment.Font-Mars is a family estate in an area where the co-ops dominate.The de Clock family, who own the estate, originally came from Holland. Jean Clock first came to France and settled in Bordeaux in 1679 and cultivated vines in that region. Several generations later, Leon de Clock married Camille de Vulliod. Le Château Font-Mars (and there really is a beautiful Château) had been owned by Camille’s family. Leon undertook the management of the vineyards and domaine, and now their son Jean-Baptiste de Clock owns and manages the estate.
Greg and I picked up notes of lemon (both zest and juice), green apple, and white flowers on the nose, with a little pink grapefruit, as well as white peach. It was rounder on the palate with more peachiness and floral notes. There were tangy Meyer lemons in the mix alongside the grapefruit and lemon, with notes of honeysuckle, and unsweetened canned pineapple juice. It was racy with medium+ acid, a supple medium body, and very moderate alcohol at 12.5%.
We definitely were feeling seafood for this wine, however, we thought it would hold up to something with a little more weight like tuna or salmon. The roundness of the texture also had us thinking of the sweet, creamy texture of certain shellfish like calamari, shrimp, or scallops. I liked the idea of something fried with this as it had body as well as acidity.
I landed on crab cakes for this meal, which I kept pretty simple but I add lemon and orange juice and zest to capitalize on those notes in the wine, as well as a smattering of light, fresh green herbs. These crab cakes became low-carb by total accident. I’d run out of breadcrumbs and used almond flour as a substitute. The nutty component turned out to be a lovely complement in flavor. Note however, that while the crab cakes had a wonderful light yet meaty texture, they were on the delicate side, so handle them gently.
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| Note: Bottles were sent as samples for participation in this event. No monetary compensation was received and all opinions are my own. |
Because crab cakes jut scream for that extra bit of dipping sauce, I opted to make a rémoulade––well, two rémoulades actually. I couldn’t decide between the more herby-briny French version, and the spicier Louisiana version, so I made both. The French version was probably the better match, but we also just liked the little kick of spice from the Louisiana style and ended up kind of mixing them together on the plate. (The French rémoulade is the one pictured.)
This meal worked so well together! In this case, the combo really elevated the wine, taking it up a notch from a simple table wine. Greg said he thought it might have been the most he’d ever enjoyed a crab cake. It’s possible he was trying to flatter me, but I happily took the compliment.
THE GEEKY DETAILS
Taken from the producer’s website:
Terroir : Clay and chalk
Grape variety : Piquepoul
Harvest : White grapes are picked with full organoleptic maturity in the middle of September, at night in order to preserve all their qualities of coolness.
Winemaking : De-Stemming cold pellicular maceration, pneumatic pressing, racking of the must and fermentation at low temperature (15-17°C) during 20 days with daily control of specific gravities. Fining and filtration before bottling in the domain.
Drink within 2 years, serve between 12° and 14° C.
MONEY TALK
The SRP on this is $15 (Wine-Searcher.com has the average price at $13) making this a very easy House Wine to enjoy all spring and summer long.
OTHER POSSIBILITIES
I’ve already listed a few of the other dishes we considered above, and it’s no surprise here that the producer recommends this with seafood or as an aperitif. Languedocadventure.com also notes that Picpoul, “neutralizes the salt and iodine in shellfish and other crustaceans, and are also surprisingly good with rich cheeses and charcuterie.”
In addition to this sample, I also received the Domitia Picpoul de Pinet 2016, which we had the same night we got them with sous vide salmon in butter-garlic-herb sauce with potatoes and leeks (find that recipe here) and that also worked quite well. Here is my Instagram post on @NibblingGypsy of that meal.
A post shared by Nicole Ruiz Hudson (@nibblinggypsy) on
For another wine option, pick a white or rosé wine that has vibrant fruit with lots of acidity, that also has some body.
