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Local
wines "Vins de Pays"
The two
departments Charentais, Charente and Charente-Maritime produce an
increasingly wide range of local wines and vine wines, white, red and
rosé. The wine growers organise themselves in order to diversify and
change the image of the vineyard.
The white wines represent more than 80 % of the production. Dry, light
and fruity, they are the perfect accompaniment for seafood dishes. Among
the white pure vine wines, the ‘colombard’ is particularly typical
of the area.
The red, fruity wines, best drunk young, perfectly accompany local,
traditional food.
The rosé wines are gaining more and more popularity all the time.
Pineau,
fruit of the vine and of a fortunate accident
We are told that
in the 16th century, a wine grower made the mistake of
pouring fresh fermenting grape juice, (must), into a barrel still
containing brandy. This mixture stopped the fermentation of the must and
gave alcoholic strength to the wine.
This is how pineau was born; a liquor wine, appellation d’origine
contrôlée. The operation of mutage makes ‘musts’ inactive by
stopping fermentation with the addition of alcohol. Pineau exists in
white and rosé, according to the type of vines used.
The alcoholometric volume must be at least of 16 %. Pineau ages in oak
barrels.
The preparation of pineau follows strict rules, which guarantee a
superior quality. You will notice on each bottle, the guarantee stamp of
the trade union of the Producers of Pineau des Charentes.
Pineau has to be served chilled, without ice and in general, offered as an aperitive.
It is a good accompaniment for melon as well as foie gras.
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Pineau, the approach of the connoisseur |
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Pineau, it’s an extremely
pleasant aperitif which is usually served chilled. An outstanding
product of the area. What is it exactly ? It is advisable to ask Mr.
Favre who, will always, good-naturedly offer you a tasting and a chance
to buy in the market of Saint-Palais-sur-Mer. His pineau, is his product,
his child. Do not say anything bad about it ! The best time to
visit him is late afternoon, in Campagne on the road to Epargnes.
Finally, taste it and enjoy it. Very close to the market of Saint-Palais,
just opposite, you have the pineau of Mr. Arrivé. Enter the shop and
Madam will make sure you enjoy the pineau ‘Château Bellevue’ . |
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There are many
places where you can get supplies of pineau. For example, inland, on the
road to Rochefort, you will find in Saint-Sulpice-de-Royan, the co-operative
cellar of la Seudre. In this quiet spot, you will be able to fill your
boot with bottles of Rayon d’Or . I usually go to buy my pineau in Saint-Dizant-du-Gua. It is on the
secondary road which connects Royan to Bordeaux but be careful not to
miss the turn to the right, in a village which still has a beautiful
Romanesque church.There, you will drive through fields to
Saint-Dizant-du-Gua. At Saint-Dizant-du-Gua, turn left and you will see a single-storey house in which
you will be able to hear the history of pineau. Do not hesitate to taste
the pineau and, if you like it, to buy There are still many places where you can buy this nectar. Just stop
from time to time and follow a sign, for example, " pineau :
turn to the first right " and enter the farm or house. If you
enjoy the pineau after tasting it , you can buy a bottle, if not, just
say that you need time to think about it or that you will come back
another time. If I discover some other places to buy pineau, I will tell you about
them. But if you can, avoid the supermarkets.. For a pineau, that spoils
the romance. |
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Cognac,
a very French product, but is it really known? |
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Here is a short history of the
birth of cognac. Already at the time of the Romans and the Gauls, a
vineyard existed around La Rochelle. In the 12th century, under the
influence of the King of England, husband of Aliénor d’Aquitaine, the
wine trade developed with England and the Scandinavian Countries. Vineyards expanded in all of the Charente region. But the wine travelled
badly and so it was decided to distil it and to export brandy which
people drank with added water in the Northern countries.
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The vineyard is divided into six ‘terroirs’,
six ‘crus’, according to the structure of the ground and the climate.
Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne owe their names to the chalky
ground to be found in the area of Rheims.
Three type of vines, the white
ugni, the ‘folle blanche’ and the ‘colombard’ are grown to
produce the white wines for distilling.
After the double
distillation in a typical charentais still, the brandy ages in oak
barrels during which time, the wood yields little by little its tannin
to the cognac, giving it the taste and its amber colour.
The alcoholic
strength drops and the evaporation in the darkness of the cellars,
chais, is important. It is known as " the part of the angels ".
Once bottled, the ageing of cognac stops and it conforms with the level
of the designation on the label. Those designations vary according to
the average age of the brandies which are mixed, as well as their
origins.
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Sponsored Links |
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Pineau, Cognac
Visit, tasting, decorated glass, at Givrezac, 30 minutes away
from Royan, Claude et Evelyne Boisselet, produceurs. |
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Clos du Plantis
Guest House B&B and Gites, deep in the heart of the
vineyards, open all year long. |
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