What is Pineau des Charentes?
Pineau des Charentes is an aperitif mostly unknown outside of France. Even within France, it’s not widely imbibed outside of the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. However, you’ve certainly tasted Pineau’s famous sibling from this corner of Southwest France—Cognac.
Pineau is a fortified wine made from adding young Cognac eau-de-vie to freshly pressed grape juice, or sometimes to lightly fermented grape must. Adding eau-de-vie interrupts fermentation, preserving the juice’s natural sugars and aromatics. The blend of grape spirit and grape juice is then aged for a minimum of 18 months, including 8 months in oak. Some producers age their Pineaux for years.
The result is Pineau des Charentes, a fruity, aromatic aperitif about 17% abv. Best served cold, Pineau makes for a great summer sipper by itself over ice, or a refreshing cocktail with tonic (or club soda), a citrus element like lemon or grapefruit, and an aromatic garnish such as thyme or rosemary.
Who makes Pineau des Charentes?
With the humid Chicago summer now in full effect, I’ve been enjoying a Pineau I brought home from Domaine du Chêne, an independent vigneron and family-owned Pineau and Cognac producer in Charente-Maritime. Their 90 hectares of vineyards and artisanal distillery are located about an hour from Bordeaux, just across the Gironde from the Médoc.
I visited Domaine du Chêne in Fall of 2024 while scouting the Médoc and Cognac for our Oenotated Travel wine tours in Bordeaux and Nouvelle-Aquitaine. This 150-year-old family business exemplifies what makes France such a rich destination for oenotourism. If you are curious traveler who likes to go behind the scenes to see how wine, spirits, and other culinary or craft products are made, producers like Domaine du Chêne are your happy place.
Visiting a family Cognac and Pineau producer like Domaine du Chêne offers our travelers very warm, personal experiences. They are opportunities to learn from passionate artisans about how they work, how they create, and to connect the wines, spirits, or foods we love with personal stories and real places.
Where can I buy Pineau des Charentes?
The most fun way to get your hands on some Pineau des Charentes is to book one of our French food and wine tours, like Luxury Wine Tour in Southern France: Wine Tasting from Bordeaux to Banyuls. The Charente departments are just across the Gironde estuary from the Médoc, making a visit to Domaine du Chêne or other artisanal Pineau producers easy to do during a wine tasting tour in Bordeaux.
To qualify as AOC Pineau des Charentes, the grapes must be grown in vineyards in Charente-Maritime, Charente, and a few communes extending into the Dordogne and Deux-Sèvres. These are essentially the same borders defining the Cognac appellation.
Pineau des Charentes was the first French fortified wine to receive an AOC designation, in 1945. Beyond the border of where it can be produced, both the grape must and the Cognac eau-de-vie must come from the same wine-growing estate. Which brings me to another reason to add Pineau to your collection of French aperitifs—Pineau des Charentes expresses terroir.
Soil type, vineyard exposure, the grape varietals used for both the eau-de-vie and the must—how long the winemaker chooses to age their Pineau beyond the minimum 18 months—just like wine, Pineau is an expression of where it comes from and who made it.
Domaine du Chêne’s Pineau Blanc made from 100% Colombard is fresh, fruity, a little floral, with a hint of vegetal bitterness on the finish. Perfect for a muggy summer’s day in Chicago. 4,000 miles away from where it was made, my glass of Pineau transports me to the vineyards in Charente-Maritime with happy memories of my tasting experience at Domaine du Chêne.
If you haven’t yet tried Pineau des Charentes, you can usually find a bottle or two from the larger producers at your local specialty wine store. Give it a try and if you like what you taste, contact us about exploring artisanal Pineaux, Cognacs, wines, cuisine, and culture in Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and France.
How to drink Pineau des Charentes
Always drink Pineau des Charentes cold. You can drink it straight, over ice, or mix it into some simple cocktails. I’ve been using my Pineau to make an easy, refreshing spritz:
- 1 ½ oz Pineau des Charentes
- Club soda (use tonic water if you prefer a little more bitterness)
- Squeeze of lemon
- Rocks glass
- Plenty of ice
Good Pineau has a light, subtle flavor so it’s a versatile addition to just about any variation on a spritz. You can also try mixing Pineau with gin to make a “Charentes Martini.” The gin’s botanicals are a nice complement to Pineau’s fruity taste and white flower aromas.
