Drink Picpoul de Pinet before you die.
There’s a real pleasure in just saying the words Picpoul de Pinet, and sharing a bottle or so with friends on a hot summer’s day is an enormous joy. Throw a tray of fresh oysters into the mix and you’ll be in heaven.
Picpoul de Pinet seemed to come out of nowhere. I’d come across the variety while studying for the WSET Diploma in London between 2008 and 2009. I’d never tried it. Only read about it. And then only remembered it as a weirdo southern French grape variety whose name meant “lip stinger” and was used to perk up blends with a bit of extra acidity.
I went back to the UK in the summer of 2016, having last visited in 2011, and every second pub seemed to have a sign outside declaring they had Picpoul de Pinet inside.
What the hell was going on? In five short years, this obscure Languedoc grape had become something of a sensation and a British pub summer staple.
Of course, it wasn’t long before I went into one of these pubs to see what all the fuss was about. And the fuss was well warranted. It was all about youth, vibrancy, joy and pleasure. Exactly what summer should be about.
The wine was fresh, lemony, saline, inexpensive and seemingly designed to be drunk outside with a plate of oysters or mussels in the company of good friends. And if you can be by a body of water, even better.
Not every bucket-list wine needs to cost a small fortune.
Ten Second Summary
- What it is: A dry white wine from six communes around the Étang de Thau on the Mediterranean coast of the Languedoc, made from 100% Piquepoul Blanc.
- Tastes like: Lemon, grapefruit, pear and sometimes peach, with high acidity and a distinctly salty, seaside freshness.
- Buying shortcut: Most Picpoul is reliable. For something more interesting, look for producers such as Domaine Félines Jourdan, Domaine Gaujal, Cave de l’Ormarine and Château Petit Roubié.
- Best with: Oysters. Mussels. Prawns. Grilled fish. Anything that once lived in the sea.
- Why try it: Because an obscure blending grape somehow reinvented itself as one of Britain’s favourite pub whites — and is now attempting another transformation into a genuinely serious wine.
What is Picpoul de Pinet?
Picpoul de Pinet is a dry white wine from the Languedoc in southern France, produced around the Étang de Thau, the large saltwater lagoon between Sète and Agde. Six communes make up the appellation: Castelnau-de-Guers, Florensac, Mèze, Montagnac, Pinet and Pomérols.
The wine is called Picpoul de Pinet. The grape is more correctly called Piquepoul Blanc.
This is unusual territory for the Languedoc, a region historically dominated by red wines and blends. Yet Picpoul de Pinet is devoted entirely to dry white wine made from a single variety.
The vineyards roll gently down towards the Étang de Thau. Beyond it lies the Mediterranean.
That location, it turns out, is rather important — and not just for the terroir it provides the growers, but also the marketers.
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| Picpoul vineyards beside the Étang de Thau | © Domaine Félines Jourdan. Resized for display. |
The grape: an old lip-stinger with a talent for keeping its acid
Piquepoul is an old southern French grape, and it comes in three colours: Noir, Gris and Blanc. The Gris version is now very rare — the kind of thing that would once have quietly disappeared without anyone much noticing.
What Piquepoul does unusually well is hang onto its acidity. In a hot Mediterranean climate, that is a handy trick.
This mid- to late-ripening and productive variety is particularly suited to the calcareous-clay and sandy soils of hot Mediterranean regions. Its naturally high acidity explains its long history as a blending grape across southern France — it even turns up as one of the permitted varieties in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, albeit in tiny quantities.
It also had a second life well away from the label. Piquepoul was historically widely used for vermouth production in this part of southern France. Marseillan, sitting right on the other side of the Étang de Thau, is home to Noilly Prat, one of the most famous vermouth houses in the world. Same lagoon, an entirely different drink at the end of it.
This ability to retain acidity is undoubtedly where it gets the traditional interpretation of its name: “lip stinger”. And you can understand why. A good Picpoul has a mouthwatering, almost lip-smacking freshness that seems slightly improbable considering the warm place it comes from.
From blending grape to British pub superstar
So Piquepoul wasn’t some newly discovered grape. It had been growing around here for centuries, historically useful both in blends and, as above, in the production of vermouth.
But by the early 1960s its fortunes were looking decidedly shaky and Piquepoul plantings had declined to just 50 hectares by 1963.
Then, in 1963, Étienne Farras became president of the Pinet wine cooperative. The French government was developing this stretch of Mediterranean coastline for tourism, and Farras spotted an opportunity sitting almost literally outside his front door.
The Étang de Thau is famous for oysters and mussels. Picpoul is crisp, dry and acidic.
Put the two together and hey presto!
The whole is great than the sum of its parts. By a long shot.
It sounds ridiculously obvious now, but it was clever marketing: rather than merely selling a grape variety, they associated Picpoul with a particular place, food and occasion. Sounds somewhat similar to Côtes de Provence rosé, although perhaps a little more sudden and a little more deliberate.
The French appellation system eventually caught up with what Farras had started. Picpoul de Pinet was recognised as a named denomination within the Coteaux du Languedoc AOC from 1985, and finally graduated into a fully standalone AOC in its own right in 2013 — official confirmation, decades later, that this wasn’t just a passing pub trend. The INAO records the progression from VDQS status in 1954, to Coteaux du Languedoc in 1985, to an independent appellation in September 2013.
Picpoul de Pinet was clearly going places. Alongside its climb up the appellation ladder, plantings were growing too: from 50 hectares in the early 1960s to 650 hectares by the late 1990s, and 1,455 hectares by 2009.
So why did Britain suddenly go mad for Picpoul?
Several things came together at roughly the same time.
First, Picpoul is an extremely easy wine to like. It is crisp without usually being painfully austere, fruity without being sweet, distinctive without being weird, and generally modest in alcohol. Lemon, pear, a little stone fruit, plenty of freshness and often a salty edge. You don’t need a WSET Diploma to understand it.
Second, it arrived in Britain when wine drinkers already knew exactly what to do with it. If you’d spent the previous decade ordering Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or Muscadet, Picpoul wasn’t a great conceptual leap. But it was something new to say and discover.
Third, and perhaps less romantically, Picpoul could be produced reliably, economically and in substantial volumes. Four cooperatives, alongside around two dozen private domaines, produce the great majority of Picpoul de Pinet. Machine harvesting became increasingly important from the early 1980s, allowing growers to pick quickly and, crucially, at night or early in the morning when the grapes were cool.
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| Harvesting Picpoul beside the oyster farms of the Étang de Thau | © Domaine Félines Jourdan. Resized for display. |
Fourth, modern white winemaking turned that raw material into something consistent. Careful pressing, cool fermentation, protection from oxygen, stainless steel, blocked malolactic fermentation and early bottling preserved the very thing Picpoul sells itself on — freshness.
Improvements in winemaking sent quality sharply upwards while the cooperative structure kept production costs low enough for large British retailers, restaurants and pubs to get behind it.
And, fith, there was the bottle. Most Picpoul de Pinet appears in the distinctive tall green Neptune bottle, decorated with symbols linking the wine to the sea and its Languedoc origins. Shelves full of different producers therefore still look like one recognisable brand.
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| Domaine Félines Jourdan Picpoul de Pinet in the distinctive Neptune bottle | © Domaine Félines Jourdan. Resized for display. |
It was a remarkably effective combination: good wine + good value + seafood + easy-to-recognise bottle + enough volume to supply everybody.
Can Picpoul de Pinet be a serious wine?
For most of its modern success, Picpoul has been sold on youth and freshness. Chill it, open it, drink it with seafood. Job done.
But since 2018 the appellation has been working on a more ambitious category called Patience. These wines typically involve selected parcels, older vines, riper fruit and longer ageing on the lees. Jamie Goode notes that wines qualifying for the initiative also have to pass a tasting test, cannot show oak influence and must be bottled under cork.
The aim isn’t to turn Picpoul into white Burgundy. It is to see whether the grape can keep its freshness and salty character while gaining more texture, complexity and ageing potential. Decanter’s tasting of the newer Patience wines suggests there may be something to it.
Whether Picpoul actually needs to become more serious is another question. Its uncomplicated ability to provide pleasure on a hot summer’s day is a large part of its appeal.
Eight Picpoul de Pinet producers and bottles to look for
One of the nice things about Picpoul is that you don’t need to obsess over producers quite as much as you do in Burgundy. The appellation’s success has been built partly on consistency: even inexpensive bottles are usually pretty decent.
But some producers repeatedly crop up among critics and wine writers.
1. Domaine Félines Jourdan — Cuvée Féline
One of the benchmark estates. Look out particularly for Cuvée Féline, a more concentrated, lees-aged expression that shows how far Picpoul can move beyond simple summer refreshment.
Find Domaine Félines Jourdan Cuvée Féline on Wine-Searcher
2. Domaine Gaujal / Gaujal de Saint Bon
Cuvée 1744 and the newer Paciencia show the denser, more textured side of the variety without throwing away its essential freshness.
Find Domaine Gaujal Picpoul de Pinet on Wine-Searcher
3. Cave de l’Ormarine — Hommage à Étienne Farras
The large cooperative in Pinet has played an enormous role in the entire Picpoul story. Hommage à Étienne Farras is particularly fitting given that Farras was instrumental in establishing the oysters-and-Picpoul identity that helped save the grape.
Find Hommage à Étienne Farras on Wine-Searcher
4. Les Vignerons de Florensac
One to seek out if you want to see what serious Picpoul can do. Longer lees ageing has produced wines with much more concentration and texture than the basic pub-white stereotype, and its Patience wines have performed particularly well in tastings.
Find Les Vignerons de Florensac on Wine-Searcher
5. Château Petit Roubié — Patience L’O
A good producer at both the straightforward and ambitious ends of Picpoul. Patience L’O is particularly interesting: richer and more textural, but still recognisably Picpoul.
Find Château Petit Roubié on Wine-Searcher
6. Domaine Reine Juliette
Widely regarded, with the classic citrus and pear profile given a little more depth and presence. Its Terres Rouges bottling is particularly worth looking for.
Find Domaine Reine Juliette on Wine-Searcher
7. Cave de Pomerols / Beauvignac
Another cooperative producer, and another demonstration that cooperative does not mean second-rate. The better Beauvignac cuvées combine the juicy, easygoing nature of Picpoul with considerably more concentration.
Find Beauvignac Picpoul de Pinet on Wine-Searcher
8. Domaine La Grangette — Poule de Pic
Poule de Pic is the memorable label to look for: clean, bright and citrusy, with the sort of effortless drinkability that explains why Picpoul became so popular in the first place.
Find Domaine La Grangette Poule de Pic on Wine-Searcher
Picpoul de Pinet FAQ
Is Picpoul de Pinet the same as Sauvignon Blanc?
No. Picpoul de Pinet is made from Piquepoul Blanc, not Sauvignon Blanc. Both can produce fresh, high-acid dry whites, but Picpoul tends to be less overtly aromatic, with lemon, pear and saline flavours rather than Sauvignon Blanc’s more obvious grassy, tropical or gooseberry character.
Is Picpoul de Pinet dry or sweet?
Dry. Picpoul de Pinet is a crisp, dry white wine.
What grape is Picpoul de Pinet made from?
Picpoul de Pinet is made from 100% Piquepoul Blanc. “Picpoul” is the name most commonly seen and spoken in the English-speaking wine world, while “Piquepoul” is the grape’s formal French spelling.
What does Picpoul mean?
Piquepoul is traditionally interpreted as meaning something along the lines of “lip stinger”, a reference to the variety’s naturally high acidity.
How do you pronounce Picpoul de Pinet?
Roughly: peek-pool duh pee-nay. Don’t worry too much. Order enough of it and the pronunciation gets easier.
Was Picpoul used to make vermouth?
Yes. Piquepoul was historically used as a base wine for vermouth in this part of southern France. Marseillan, on the Étang de Thau, is also home to the famous Noilly Prat vermouth house.
What is Piquepoul Gris, and can I still find it?
It is the grey-skinned member of the Piquepoul family and is now very rare. Almost all Picpoul de Pinet you’ll encounter is Piquepoul Blanc.
What is Picpoul de Pinet similar to?
Muscadet is probably the closest comparison: both are light, dry, high-acid French whites with an affinity for seafood. Vinho Verde can occupy similar drinking territory, although the wines and grapes are quite different.
What food goes with Picpoul de Pinet?
Oysters are the classic match. Mussels, prawns, crab, squid, grilled fish, sushi and other seafood are also excellent. Its acidity makes it useful with fried foods and sharp salad dressings too.
Should Picpoul de Pinet be aged?
Most Picpoul de Pinet is best drunk young, while its citrus fruit and freshness are at their brightest. The newer Patience wines are deliberately made with greater concentration and longer lees ageing and may reward some bottle age.
Is Picpoul grown outside France?
Yes. Piquepoul Blanc is still used in some southern French blends and has also travelled overseas. Tablas Creek was an early pioneer in California, while Australian growers have also planted the variety, where its natural acidity makes obvious sense in warm climates.
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