• Picpoul de Pinet is a sure bet for Languedoc wines: very popular by the sea, where it goes perfectly with shellfish tastings, it also appeals to the English, who drink a third of the production each year.

  • If it is so popular, confides Claude Jourdan, at the head of the Félines Jourdan estate, one of the largest producers of Picpoul de Pinet, it is because it is "easy to taste" and that it is associated "By the sea, at pleasant times".

  • However, the PDO union hopes to win over more wine merchants and restaurateurs, many of whom still snub this little white wine.

He is an unpretentious little white man, who nevertheless wins all the votes at the table. Picpoul de Pinet, star of shellfish tastings on the banks of the Thau lagoon, is one of the sure values ​​of Languedoc wines. On the occasion, this weekend, of the first edition of the Salon des vins Sud de France, at the Montpellier fair (Hérault),

20 Minutes

has put its nose in this sunny appellation.

“It's a fairly dry white wine, with good acidity and good tension, which is remarkable in Languedoc,” explains Céleste Renault, coordinator of the Syndicat de PDO Picpoul de Pinet.

We feel the maritime influences, of course.

It is a very fresh wine, which is totally in tune with the times, where we are looking for wines that have pep.

»Some will find notes of citrus or white flowers.

“It has a distinctive character, which is clearly marked, that's how we recognize it,” continues Céleste Renault.

Associated with "pleasant moments"

If it is so popular, confides Claude Jourdan, at the head of the Félines Jourdan estate, one of the largest producers of Picpoul de Pinet, it is because it is "easy to taste" and that it is associated "By the sea, at pleasant times". And if Picpoul de Pinet, whose grape variety has existed since at least the 14th century, is recognizable among many others, it is also thanks to its bottle, the Neptune. An elongated bottle, which only the producers of this white Languedoc wine can use.

This wine, protected designation of origin (PDO) since 2013, is only produced in six communes of Hérault: Castelnau-de-Guers, Florensac, Mèze, Montagnac, Pinet and Pomérols.

Or some 1,500 hectares, straddling two very different territories: the edge of the Thau lagoon, and inland, to the north.

The appellation, produced in single-color and single-varietal, has four cooperative cellars and 23 private cellars.

Ten million bottles are produced each year.

“With oysters, it's obvious.

But it is nevertheless a little reductive ”

But contrary to what one might think, there is not just one Picpoul de Pinet. “There is a real diversity of wines, with a very large range of aromas,” continues Céleste Renault. Winegrowers work differently. And depending on the territory, the notes change. Some even tend towards exotic fruits. »This white goes perfectly with oysters. At the edge of the Thau lagoon, some straw huts offer almost only Picpoul de Pinet to accompany their tastings. But at the PDO union, we are fighting to convince consumers that it can also be paired with other dishes. “With oysters, it's obvious. But it is a bit reductive, points out Céleste Renault. It can also accompany mature cheeses, cold meats, ready meals, etc. "

The union also hopes to attract more wine merchants and restaurateurs. As is the case with other very popular wines, Picpoul de Pinet, which has long suffered from a tarnished image, is still somewhat snubbed by some professionals. "We would like to help them to have a little more interest in this appellation, and to show them that, for ten years, there has been a very important increase in quality, and an increasingly important diversity", continues the coordinator of the PDO.

But this wine does not please the French only: 65% of the production is exported.

Picpoul de Pinet even represents 80% of the export of white Languedoc wines.

Much of it is shipped to the UK, which is very fond of this small, dry white wine.

“A third of Picpoul de Pinet is drunk by the English,” says Céleste Renault.

“They like dry white wines, with a slightly mineral side, like Picpoul de Pinet,” continues Claude Jourdan.

But they taste it differently than in France, more in bars.

After work, several of them will meet up and buy a bottle in a bar and consume it while chatting.

"

Montpellier

Montpellier: At the Château de l'Engarran, family has been making wine for five generations

Society

The wonderful tale of Christmas Muscat, born from "a story of friends"

  • Vine

  • Montpellier

  • Languedoc-Roussillon

  • Wine