I grabbed my “Wine Lovers Companion” book to find a good starting point on which to provide you with a description of a Southern French white wine grape called Picpoul de Pinet. Under the slightly variated term “Picpoule” the book says says “See Folle Blanche,” which literally translates to “Crazy White Lady.”
And under “Folle Blanche” the book says……? Nothing. That is, there is no “Folle Blanche” in my edition of the reference guide. It goes from “Foil Cutter,” to “Fondillon.” Moreover, it turns out that Folle Blanche is unrelated to the Picpoul de Pinet grape, which hails from the Languedoc region of France in the Southern Rhone. Conversely, Folle Blanche is apparently a blending grape used in Cognac and comes from a completely different section of France.
The literal translation for Picpoul de Pinet is “Lip Stinger,” if you’re wondering. And it is undefined in my definitive pocket book on wine. The editors of my “Wine Lovers Companion” couldn’t even be bothered to follow up on the fact that the definition is missing.
I nevertheless must write about Picpoul de Pinet. This is because I want to suggest to you that if you can find it, pick up a bottle. I purchased one bottle at a local wine specialty shop, and another bottle at a Bevmo. So I know they’re out the bottles are out there if you look for them.
P. de P. reminds me a lot of an Italian Orvieto - or similar Italian white varietal which is high in acid and citrusy notes. The common taste on the palate is one of lemon and green apple. The better of the two I had also possessed a hint of a briny quality which would have made it a rapturous pairing with white fish.
Not Your Household Name Wine (Yet?) - 2008 Domaine Felines Jourdan Picpoul de Pinet
The more complex version of Picpoul I purchased was from a 2008 vintage of Domaine Feline Jourdan (about $12 if you can find it). We had it with a roasted chicken with root veggies and a creamy mushroom sauce. Delicious.
The other bottle was a charming and still young 2010 Hughes Beaulieu Coteaux de Languedoc which retails for around $11. The wine was young enough to still show a greenish hue from the grape skins and had a lip-puckeringly tart quality. We tried this one with a roasted vegetable and couscous dish which my wife conjured up (roasted carrots, sauteed mushrooms, and pistachios on a bed of baby spinach and couscous). The wine probably would have worked better with something not so veggie-centered, but the mushrooms balanced the acidity in the wine decently enough.
A Very Young Example of Picpoul de Pinot from 2010. Producer: Hughes Beaulieu.
The wine is worth looking for, especially if you like your white wines with a lot of lip-stinging tartness. I’d stick to creamy or buttery dishes to offer a nice combination of flavors from opposing sides of your palate.
