Something for the Un-hip to Sip

I live in the burbs. I drive a mini van. My grip on “cool” has officially loosened. So it’s only appropriate that I should embrace Pineau des Charentes, a fortified wine that, by some accounts, is not the hippest drink on the Paris nightclub circuit.

Legend has it that this vin de liqueur from the Cognac region of France, dates back to the 1500s, when a grape grower accidentally added freshly pressed grape juice to a barrel containing Cognac. Returning a few years later, he discovered that a new beverage had been born that is now a specialty of the region.

Pineau de Charentes is made in a white version, most often from Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanc, and Colombard grapes, and then aged together with the Cognac in oak barrels for eighteen months. There are also red or rosé versions made from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec and aged in oak for at least fourteen months. Vieux Pineau is aged for five or more years.

It was my dear friend Peggy Schoch, a free-spirited New Jerseyan who has lived  in France for many years, who recently introduced me to Pineau—calling it an apéritif or a digestif, depending on your preference.

The Maison Brillet Pineau Blanc “Prestige” was the perfect starter for a meal that lasted hours. It was refreshing and layered with a unique, subtly sweet flavor that was not too heavy or high in alcohol. I enjoyed it immensely—trendy hipsters be damned!

Peggy confirmed its stature as a less than fashionable beverage often associated with something from the past. One producer calls it the choice of “refined ladies everywhere.”

This last bit of information had me laughing out loud because, honey—if the shoe fits—who am I not to wear it?

Tags: wine | Pineau des Charentes | Cognac | France