📜 Pineau des Charentes
A sweet aperitif of grape juice fortified with Cognac, from Charente.
Pineau des Charentes is a sweet aperitif from the Charente in western France. It is made from grape juice to which cognac spirit is added. The spirit stops fermentation, and the sugar from the grapes stays in the drink. The result is a sweet fortified wine, aged in casks.
The Cognac area is regarded as its home. By legend, the drink appeared when grape juice was poured by accident into a barrel holding cognac spirit. However that may be, today it is a separate protected designation, PDO.
White and rosé versions are made. For the white, grapes such as Trebbiano (the local Ugni Blanc) and Colombard are used, and for the rosé red grapes such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The strength is higher than ordinary wine, usually around 17 percent.
Pineau des Charentes is served chilled in small portions, often before a meal or with melon and sweets. It belongs to French wine and to fortified wine as a category.
How it connects to Wine
📜 Pineau des Charentes ← main grape of ← 🍇 Cabernet Sauvignon → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🗺️ French wine
- Main grapes
- 🍇 Colombard, 🍇 Merlot, 🍇 Cabernet Sauvignon
- Wines
- 🍷 White wine, 🍷 Rosé, 🍷 Fortified wine, 🍷 Sweet wine
Frequently asked questions
What is Pineau des Charentes?
A sweet fortified aperitif made from grape juice and cognac spirit in the Charente, France.
What is Pineau des Charentes made from?
Fresh grape juice with cognac spirit added, then aged in casks.
What kinds of Pineau des Charentes are there?
White and rosé.
What to read next
- 🍷 White wine — Wine made from grape juice without the skins; it can come from pale and even dark berries.
- 🍷 Sweet wine — Wine with a lot of sugar, drunk with dessert or instead of it.
Similar
📜 Charentais · 📜 Coteaux de Coiffy · 📜 Coteaux de l'Ain · 📜 Haute-Marne · 📜 Méditerranée · 📜 Puy-de-Dôme
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.