If you like crisp, citrusy white wines, you will love, or maybe you already love Picpoul de Pinet. This one from a cooperative winery with over 40 growers is bright crisp and fresh with juicy lemony flavors with saline notes and electrical acidity. The area in the Languedoc region of southwestern France where a tangy, crisp white wine made from the Piquepoul Blanc (also known as Picpoul) grape is home of the Étang de Thau. This a salt water lagoon near the Mediterranean Sea where the Picpoul grape survived the invasion of the phylloxera root louse that nearly destroyed the vineyards of Europe. Turns out the louse doesn’t like water. This lagoon also is home to oysters and mussels, the perfect food match for Picpoul.
Montagnac Domitienne, Picpoul de Pinet AOC (Languedoc, France) 2020
By Rebecca Murphy