Pineau des Charentes

Pineau des Charentes ( Pineau Charentais, or simply Pineau ) is an alcoholic beverage that is enjoyed mostly as an aperitif made ​​from a blend of unfermented grape must and eau de vie de Cognac. Pineau is made in the departments of Charente and Charente -Maritime in western France and is very popular there, as he is less well known abroad and almost unknown in the rest of France. In the neighboring department of Deux -Sèvres Pineau is often produced in home production and drinking, but not marketed. Pineau tastes sweet but with some bite of tartaric acid.

In the Vendée there is a similar drink called Troussepinette that is often differentiated taste with pears or other fruits. In other parts of France there are similar drinks, such as Macvin du Jura in the Jura and Floc de Gascogne and Armagnac in the region pommeau in Normandy, consisting of a mixture of apple cider and Calvados apple brandy. However, these are far less known than Pineau, both in France and beyond. The corresponding drink in the Champagne is called Ratafia.

History

According to legend, Pineau was invented by accident in 1589 when a winery grape accidentally poured in a held for empty keg that was already partially filled with eau de vie, the initial product of cognac. The drum was mounted as usual in the basement for fermentation. When it was opened a few years, found himself in a clear liquid, which in the Charente so popular today potion.

Varieties

White Pineau

In terms of volume outweighs White Pineau. He is from the varieties Ugni Blanc ( Trebbiano ), Folle Blanche and Colombard made ​​, sometimes from grape varieties Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Montils. The mixture of cider and eau de vie is stored for at least 18 months in oak barrels. Better pineau be stored for five years and longer barrel, sometimes for several decades.

Pineau has 16-22 % alcohol (by volume); provided for the commercial products have almost always 17%. White Pineau has a deep golden color, but due to differences in vine, soil chemistry and slope can vary somewhat.

Red or Rosé Pineau

The locally very popular Pineau Rosé is made from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, aged for at least 14 months in oak barrels and also has 16 to 22 % ( normally 17%) alcohol content by volume. The color varies from a deep mahogany - brown to a dark pink.

Production

The total annual production of Pineau amounts to about 14 million liters, of which about 80 % are produced in the Charente -Maritime. It is subject to the provisions of the Appellation d' Origine for " vin de liqueur ', although Pineau as such is not a wine. The production - from the cultivation of vines on the manufacture of wine, distillation and pressing of must to finite mixing and aging in barrels - is mostly in the hands of individual wine-growers, of which there are several hundred. Geographically, the Pineauproduktion is virtually identical to that of Cognac, and many Pineauproduzenten also market their own cognac.

Although in good years, the best grapes are often harvested by hand, harvesting is normally yet fully mechanized. Strict regulations govern the relationship of brandy to wine into the Pineaumischung, and exist for manufacturers " organic " pineau additional provisions. The number of manufacturers who produce Pineau from organically produced and organically produced cider brandy is growing steadily; their products bear a quality label.

The vintage one pineau is not determined after the grape must, but the Brandy. The juice must be pressed from fresh berries and geerntenen be mixed with the brandy day of harvest. Blending ( " assemblage ") of the fresh new wine with eau de vie stops the fermentation of the must by a " mutagenic " said chemical process.