What we’re drinking this summer: Picpoul de Pinet
Author: Simon Field MW
Illustration: Henry John
Picpoul de Pinet is undoubtedly becoming a fixture on restaurant lists and, increasingly, on our tables at home. Simon Field MW, our Wine Buyer for the region, writes on the merits of bringing PdP into your vinous repertoire.
Picpoul de Pinet is rather like its Iberian cousin, Albariño, in that it is frighteningly modish and wonderfully well suited to seafood; localised in the maritime vineyards, respectively, of the Eastern Languedoc and Galicia, the wines historically were sold in local restaurants and were so well appreciated at home that their export presence was limited.
Now the wines have broader currency and their combination of green apple and white fruit flavours on the one hand, with soft spices and a vestigial spritz on the other, make them irresistible. Try with asparagus, native oysters, grilled fish, or, for the more adventurous, dishes such as bouillabaisse.
For more on our Picpoul de Pinet, see bbr.com
