WTF is Picpoul?

Show Notes

Episode 146: WTF is Picpoul? 00:00

Hello! And welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast. I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and my wine pairing partner in crime, Carmela. And we are The Wine Pair! 

If you are new to our podcast, here is a quick orientation! Each week, we explore a different wine varietal or blend— like Pinot Noir or Bordeaux or Picpoul (pick-pool) — and dive into what makes it unique, special,and worth learning about. Our goal is to help you expand your wine knowledge in a fun way that is understandable and accessible to regular people, not just wine nerds! We also taste and review 2-3 wines under $20 each, and share our scores and recommendations to help you find great wines without breaking the bank. So, thank you so much for joining us! And, we are proud to say that Decanter Magazine calls us fun, irreverent, chatty, and entertaining.

Carmela, we are back this week with one of my favorite episode series because, Carmela, in these WTF episodes, we get to try wines that we have never had before. And, because we try to find new, different, maybe unusual or at least uncommon wines to help our listeners - and frankly us as well - learn about new wines, these episodes always get me very excited. And we say this all the time, if there is one thing we aim to do in the podcast, it is to expose you to wines beyond the oh so typical and boring Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Because, as we also always say, those wines are fine, but there are lots of great wines out there, and because we feel that the wine industry has tilted our palates to thinking that those wines are what wines are supposed to taste like, and we just don’t like it. 

The other thing about these episodes that we love is that we get to learn about new areas of the wine world that we don’t know much about and maybe want to visit someday, and we get to dig into history, culture, and cuisine in a really fun and relatable way, especially if, but not only if, you are a wine lover. 

So, today we are going to learn about the French white wine called Picpoul, and I love this, but the translation of the word Picpoul as we mentioned in the intro, is “lip stinger” in the dialect around the area of Occitane France, which is in Southern France today, but in the middle ages covered parts of Italy and Basque country which stretches into Spain. 

The specific area where the most well known Picpoul is from is called Picpoul de Pinet and is in the Languedoc area of France, and we have some links in our show notes if you want to learn more, but the Languedoc wine district is one of the largest producers in France, as well as the greatest producer of IGP and AOC rosé wines in the country, and is in the beautiful south of France

Some of the wines they make in the region beyond Picpoul de Pinet are red wines like Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault, white wines like Grenache blanc, Marsanne, Roussane, and Ugni Blanc, and many Rosé wines. It has a Mediterranean climate, because it is on the Mediterranean at about the same latitude as Florence Italy, with hot summers and mild weather in the fall, winter, and spring. They are also pretty well known for making organic wine in this area, and according to an article I found, 36% of all organic French wine comes from Languedoc. 

And they have been making wine there for a long time! The history of winemaking dates back to the 5th century BC when the Greeks introduced wine grapes to the area, and the Romans just continued the expansion of wine making there. About 60% of the wine made in Languedoc are red blends, with Rosé and white wines making up 20% each, respectively. And they do make some sparkling and sweet wine as well, with 5% of the wine made into sparkling varieties and 2% into sweet.

But today, we are focused specifically on the lip stinging, zippy white wine from Languedoc called Picpoul de Pinet, and we have two Picpoul wines from the area that we are going to taste and review and let you know if they will make it onto our ongoing and growing list of wines that we love  . . . 

But first . . . we have to do our shameless plug.

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And we want to make content you care about and you like, so send us a note and tell us what you like and don’t like, if there are wines you want us to try or wine making areas of the world you are curious about - and we’ll take care of it! And just this week Wilson reached out to us with some thoughts about the podcast and some thoughts on episodes which was awesome to hear, and he wondered if we ever do question and answer with our listeners, and so at the end of this episode we’ll answer Wilson’s questions, and we will put our answers in our next newsletter, too. Thank you Wilson.

And, as we do every week, we’ll tell you someone we think you should recommend The Wine Pair Podcast to - because the best way for us to grow listeners is when you tell your family and friends about us - your endorsement by word of mouth is just so valuable. This week, we want you to recommend us to anyone who loves a racy, acidic, lip stinging white wine because this may be a wine they don’t know about, and they need to get it on their radar!


ARTICLES and LINKS

• https://help.loccitane.com/selfloccitane/webanoenhk/en-hk/1123/brand-and-products/5717/what-does-l-occitane-mean#:~:text=The%20name%20L'OCCITANE%20referred,%E2%80%9CThe%20woman%20from%20Occitanie%E2%80%9D.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piquepoul#:~:text=Picpoul%20de%20Pinet%20is%20an,increased%20interest%20in%20these%20wines. 
• https://www.winetourism.com/wine-appellation/languedoc/#:~:text=Languedoc%20wine%20district%20is%20one,known%20as%20the%20Occitanie%20region. 

 

Topic: WTF is Picpoul de Pinet? 09:34

So let’s learn more about just what the F Picpoul wine is, and specifically Picpoul de Pinet. As we mentioned, this specific version of Picpoul only comes from Languedoc, and while most Picpoul is grown in Languedoc, it can be found in other areas like Spain as well as in Arizona, Sonoma, Texas, and Washington states in the US, and some is being grown in Australia as well. Basically, if it is going to be found outside of France, it is going to be found in other similarly warm wine grape growing areas, and given the fact that the climate is getting warmer, I expect to see this grape start to be grown in even more areas. Which is both exciting and sad. 

You may not know this yet, but, Carmela, you can be the first on your block to share this information with your friends and family, but Picpoul is gaining in popularity because it is considered a great alternative to Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc and Albariño, and is generally pretty reasonably priced. Be that person! 

When you see the word, it is generally spelled P-I-C-P-O-U-L but in French, it is often spelled P-I-Q-U-E-P-O-U-L. Just in case you run into it and are wondering if they are the same wine or not - they are. And, it is one of the rare wines in France that is named for the varietal or grape rather than the region. Well, when it is called Picpoul de Pinet it is actually named for both, but it’s nice that you actually know what grape is in the wine from the name, which is very often not the case when it comes to a lot of French and other European wines.  

It is also only one of two AOCs - which is the designation of an official wine region in France - in the Languedoc region that is for white wines. As we mentioned before, most of the wines in Languedoc are red.

Picpoul de Pinet is a fresh and zippy wine, known for its food-friendly acidity, and is supposed to be an awesome seafood wine, which you should love, Carmela, and it is generally made in stainless steel tanks during the winemaking process. Some winemakers are starting to age it on the lees - which again is the residual stuff that is left over after the fermentation process, and it helps to add some body and flavor to the wine and may just balance out the acidity a bit more. 

Because it is light bodied and meant to be served cold, it is also considered a great summer sipper. And we love a good summer sipper. Now, you may be wondering why we are not doing this episode during the summer, but let’s not be overly biased here - first, some people who listen to us live in areas where it is warm all year round, like my brother and his husband in Miami, unlike where we are in the great state of Washington, and some people who listen to us are in the Southern Hemisphere, where they are just about to start summer, and finally, some people are lucky enough to go to warm places for vacation or to visit family during the winter months, and so maybe, just maybe, this is a great wine for all of those folks who want to try something new and wow their friends.

I am also curious to see if this is a good wine for Thanksgiving given its acidity and crispness. My bet is that it is going to be a great wine to pair with fried and spicy foods as well, but let’s see if we have found another wine we can recommend for Thanksgiving along with the wine we had last week in our Rosé for Thanksgiving episode. 

Interestingly enough, for most of its history, Picpoul has been a blending grape, so it is not a huge surprise if you have not heard of it or run into it yet, but we think that will change - one of the articles mentioned that it now accounts for 80% of the white wines exported from Languedoc, which is a huge change from a few decades ago when it was nearly extinct in the area. 

It was used as a blending grape most commonly with Chateauneuf du Pape, and has also been used as a grape in vermouth and brandy. It is also considered an indigenous grape to Languedoc and has been around for at least 500 years, and some believe it is a mutation of a very old wine grape called Brun Fourca. Which sounds dirty, but really, it’s just the name of a grape. 

For a little more history, because that’s all part of the learning process, it was one of the many grapes that was impacted by the Phylloxera plague in the 19th century, and to save the wine grape in Languedoc, it, like many other grape vines in France, was grafted to American root stock which was resistant to those little buggers. Some in the research I looked at call it a mercurial grape - because it can grow clusters in very large yields some years and in very small yields in others - and so it is a difficult grape to get right. 

But, thankfully, we don’t have to grow it, we just have to drink it. And so, on that note, it’s time to learn more about the wines we are drinking - and by the way, we have tons of links to this and more information in our show notes if you head over to our website and look for this episode. 


ARTICLES and LINKS

• https://thegrapegrind.com/picpoul/
• https://www.decanter.com/learn/picpoul-makes-a-splash-in-america-501703/
• https://www.ninetypluscellars.com/blogs/news/introducing-picpoul-de-pinet?srsltid=AfmBOopZmh-OEEZs-qWWcHUcLFx-u773s0_VBBgUO0CTOYnD_SQIoQPU
• https://www.foodrepublic.com/2016/04/26/get-to-know-picpoul-an-affordable-and-refreshing-white-wine-from-the-south-of-france/ 
• https://www.goodpairdays.com/guides/wine-grapes/article/picpoul/?ref=gpd-guides.ghost.io&srsltid=AfmBOoprxzXNV3n3FjmWJ5o4YhWFpc_apia_GyUvHc5EjweGRy6u638o
• https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-topics/wine-educational-questions/grapes-for-wine-making-flavor-characteristics-explained/picpoul-noir-grape-flavor-character-history-wine-food-pairing-tips/ 
• https://www.cellartours.com/blog/france/a-race-to-the-top-picpoul-blanc  
• https://www.winewisdom.com/articles/regional-profiles/picpoul-de-pinet/ 

Picpoul Wines We Chose for This Episode 17:20

As usual, the wines we have chosen for this episode are under $20, and they should be relatively easy to find because I bought them at wine.com. Again, I think you will start to notice Picpoul more often in wine shops and grocery stores, and you may also see it pop up on wine menus in restaurants. It often comes in a green bottle, and the ones we have are screw caps! And it’s probably one of those things that now that you are aware of it, you will start to see it in all sorts of places even though you may not have heard of it before. Funny how that happens, right?!?

The first wine we are going to drink is the 2022 Domitia Picpoul de Pinet which, and we love this, but it, and the other wine, too, is a screw cap! We did find a tech sheet for this wine and have a link to it in our show notes, but this wine is being produced by a couple whose family has owned this vineyard for 6 generations. So, a long-ass time. 

On the tech sheet, they mention that the vineyards face a salty lake called ‘Bassin de Thau’ which is near the Mediterranean, and this wine is often described as having salinity, so maybe that will come through in this wine. They also say it is known as the Muscadet of the south, and if you don't remember, episode 114 from this past March was focused on Muscadet, so check that one out, too. 

The tech sheet says it is vinified in stainless steel tanks and is 14.2% alcohol, which is unusually high for a crisp, white wine, or any white wine. So, we will see how that impacts the taste and the body of the wine, and maybe has some impact on the “lip stingy-ness” of the wine. 

The second wine we are going to drink is the 2022 Domaine Font-Mars Picpoul de Pinet, and this one got a 92 rating from Decanter. I could not find a tech sheet for this wine, but one website I found the wine on said that it comes from a winery that made such great wines that King Louis XIV naturalized the family that made the wine, who were Dutch, as French citizens in 1686. 

The estate also sits near the Thau lagoon, like the last wine, and for a bit more history one of the websites says that Domaine Font Mars is owned and run by Jean-Baptiste de Clock, who is the latest in a long line of de Clocks to farm French vineyards, the same de Clocks that were naturalized by King Louis the 14th. The de Clocks arrived in Bordeaux in 1679 and in 1949, Leon de Clock married Camille de Vulliod, whose family had owned Domaine Font Mars since 1864. The current person in the family who runs the winery is Jean Baptiste who is their youngest son who has evidently modernized the winery. 

I couldn’t find out much more about the wine, so I think we get to tasting and rating. If you happen to have a Picpoul wine with you, drink along with us and let us know if you agree with our tasting and review. That would be really fun for us to hear!


ARTICLES and LINKS

• https://valkyrieselections.com/webmedia/Domitia%20Picpoul%202022%20Technical%20Sheet.pdf 
• https://www.backroomwines.com/font-mars-picpoul-de-pinet-2022.html?srsltid=AfmBOoq7Yjq5d-v-sdBrrmtdYIlZNX1t5CBEAj6fSV9DsI1eQs6Sx_dL 
• https://www.kysela.com/wine/picpoul-de-pinet-h.b.html 

2022 Domitia Picpoul de Pinet, 2022 Domaine Font-Mars Picpoul de Pinet Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review 23:18

Wine: Domitia Picpoul de Pinet (Click here to find this wine on wine.com. We may be compensated if you purchase)
Region: France, Languedoc
Year: 2022
Price: $14.99
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 14.2%
Grapes: 100% Piquepoul

What we tasted and smelled in this Domitia Picpoul de Pinet:

• Color: Honey-colored with orange tinge, dark
• On the nose: Honey, lemon, apple, peach, salt water, kerosene, 
• In the mouth: Zippy, viscous, peach, pineapple, honeydew melon, pineapple, juice from a fruit cup, more full-bodied than expected, pear, grapefruit, a little bitter at the end

Food to pair with this Domitia Picpoul de Pinet: Stinky cheese, cheese board, fried fish, fried foods, spicy foods, Thanksgiving, poultry, shellfish, shrimp
 
As a reminder on our rating scale, we rate on a scale of 1-10, with no half points, where 7 and above means that we would buy it, and 4 and below means that we are likely to pour it down the sink, and a 5 or 6 means we are likely to drink it and finish it, but we are probably not going to buy it. 

Domitia Picpoul de Pinet Wine Rating: 

• Joe: 6/10
• Carmela: 6/10

Wine: Domaine Font-Mars Picpoul de Pinet (Click here to find this wine on wine.com. We may be compensated if you purchase)
Region: France, Languedoc
Year: 2022
Price: $18.99
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 13%
Grapes: 100% Piquepoul
Professional Rating: D 92

What we tasted and smelled in this Domaine Font-Mars Picpoul de Pinet:

• Color: Amber with orange streaks
• On the nose: Apricot, peach, stone fruit, orange, lemon, pear, kerosene
• In the mouth: Smooth, zippy, bitter at the end, floral and flowery, stone fruit, cantaloupe, some creaminess, medium bodied, tannin, fruit tea, some grip

Food to pair with this Domaine Font-Mars Picpoul de Pinet: Shrimp pasta, Indian food, fish, fried fish, oysters, clams, shellfish

Domaine Font-Mars Picpoul de Pinet Wine Rating: 

• Joe: 8/10
• Carmela: 6/10

Which one of these are you finishing tonight?

• Carmela: Domaine Font-Mars Picpoul de Pinet
• Joe: Domaine Font-Mars Picpoul de Pinet

What do you think of Picpoul: Needs food, like them, probably need to try more of them, probably not a new go-to wine, the alcohol was too high in the first one.

Taste profiles expected from Picpoul   35:04

• General 
  • Wine Folly: Green apple, citrus blossom, lemon, thyme, saline
  • Goodpair Days: Lemon, honeysuckle, white flowers, salt
• Domitia Picpoul de Pinet
  • Winery: The wine shows surprising complexity with notes of spring flowers and a streak of minerality that provide a beautiful framework. Because the wine finishes with such clean and bracing acidity, the rich mid-palate of melon and stone fruit is a delightful surprise.
  • Vintage 38: Salted stone, ripe lemon + seashells on nose.  On palate minerals, ripe apricot, salted lemon + fossils.
• Domaine Font-Mars Picpoul de Pinet
  • Winery: A wine with characteristics of white peach, melon, white roses, and a saline minerality. Extra crispy with beautiful acidity and a fresh exotic richness.
  • Decanter: Ripe stone fruit aromas, spanning peach, pineapple and yellow apple. Its tangy and tactile on first attack, then the creaminess takes over giving a rounded feel. The lemon acidity then sweeps in and washes away the creamy ripeness, leaving a limey, lemony lick. It's warm and sunny in aroma, so the palate surprises with its freshness and salinity

Listener Q&A 37:03
As I mentioned earlier, we got some great questions from listener Wilson, and so we are going to answer them right now!

• What's the most expensive wine you've had? 
  • Most of the more expensive wines I have had have come from my father-in-law who has some excellent Barolos that he will occasionally break out for special occasions. More than one he has served some Paolo Scavino wines which are generally in the $100 or so price range when they come out, and then sell out very quickly. One of his favorites that we have had is the Bric Del Fiasc Barolo by Scavino. Carmela’s brother will get some good wines gifted to him every once in a while, and we had a Billecart-Salmon vintage Champagne at his house that is over $100. 
• Where do you store your wine? 
  • So, we have two areas where we store our wine. We have a room in our basement that is almost completely underground, and so it stays relatively cool and at a pretty even temperature throughout the year. It is not perfect, but it works. The biggest thing you want to avoid is exposing your wine to a lot of heat for an extended period of time. We also have a buffet in our dining room that has a wine fridge in it, so we store some wine in there as well. It holds about 50 bottles, and that covers maybe 20% of our wine. We have a lot of wine that needs aging, and so we need some space.
• Have you visited any wine regions or what region would you like to visit most?
  • We have visited a few wine regions, but not nearly enough. In the summer we went to Spain and visited Sant Sadurní d'Anoia which is near Barcelona and is famous for Cava, and we have been to various wine areas in California like Napa, Sonoma, and Paso Robles, we have been to some parts of the Willamette in Oregon, we have been to Walla Walla here in Washington and a few other smaller wine regions in our state, and also to Okanagan wine country in Canada, but there are a ton of places I want to go - namely Piedmont in Italy, Burgundy and Champagne in France, and New Zealand - because we like their Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, and because, we want to go to New Zealand. 

Outro and how to find The Wine Pair Podcast 41:30

Ok, so, Carmela, it’s time for us to go, but before we do, we want to thank you very much for listening to us - and if you haven’t done so yet, now would be the perfect time to follow or subscribe to our podcast and also a fantastic time to leave us a nice rating and review on our website or Apple podcasts or other podcast app - and it is an awesome and free way to support us and help us grow listeners.

We would also love to hear from you about a wine you would like us to taste and review. You can leave a message for us on our website thewinepairpodcast.com and you can join our email newsletter there - and if you missed our latest newsletter, email me and I will send it to you. You can do that by reaching out at joe@thewinepairpodcast.com. And tell us some things you want to hear us do, or not hear us do!

Alright, with that, we are going to sign off, so thanks again, and we will see you next time. And, as we say, life is short, so stop drinking shitty wine.

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