Ferrand Pineau Des Charentes Blanc

Without the influence of Alexandre Gabriel, it is fair to say that there would no Maison Ferrand as we know it today. An encounter between Gabriel and one of the oldest wine growing families in the Cognac region in 1989 led him to realise that one of the oldest Cognac houses with some of the best savoir-faire of the region was at the time totally dormant. Gabriel offered his expertise to help market the good stocks of Cognac the house retained and outlined his intention to bring back the true expression of Grande Champagne's great terroir through age-old, craft-based production methods.

This is a blend of Cognac and grape juice which was actually produced in Cognac, where it was aged for 18 months, with 12 of those spent in oak casks. It's simply stunning with a cheese board, so do yourself a favour and pick one up for next gathering which requires one.

Tinned peaches and toasted almonds dominate the palate, but there's plenty of melting butter and prunes there too.

Nolan - Text from the Spotlight on the Lower-Strength Spirits of France blog

Here we are, back with Maison Ferrand who we looked at twice in the Spotlight on the Full-Strength Spirits of France blog for their Cognac and also earlier in this one with Citadelle Gin. This time, we look at the lower ABV Pineau des Charentes. The most famous export In the Charentes region is undoubtedly Cognac, but it is for precisely that, export. 95-97% of Cognac produced leaves the shores of France, destined for foreign markets. Pineau des Charentes is one of the most consumed beverages in the locale, with every producer making a version, often only for sale directly from the cellar door.

What is Pineau though? Pineau des Charentes is a blend of aged Cognac or unaged grape spirit with either unfermented or semi-fermented grape juice, still loaded with natural grape sugars. This example from Ferrand is full aged Cognac blended with unfermented grape juice that was then aged for 18 months, with 12 of those spent in oak casks.

Because of the addition of Cognac and the extra aging, the flavour is more complex than that of pure grape juice. Tinned peaches and toasted almonds dominate the palate, but there's plenty of melting butter and prunes there too. This is simply stunning with a cheese board, so do yourself a favour and instead of a dessert wine, pick up a bottle of this for your next gathering which requires one. The added benefit of this over a dessert wine is in its stability, you do not need to polish off a bottle, instead it will last for months once open. Pineau is also lovely as a spritz with tonic or soda as an aperitif.