Picpoul de Pinet: The indulgent wine which is perfect with seafood

The small town of Sète shimmered in the sunny haze across the water and all across the lake there were ‘tables’ where oysters are cultivated.

The Etang de Thau produces around 13,000 tonnes of oysters each year and they appear on menus across the region, plump, glistening and apparently very good quality. But I can’t eat oysters. One disagreed with me years ago and I have avoided them ever since.

While my husband loves oysters, sadly, he was not with me in France. He was at home and had to tolerate my pictures of the lunch he never had, which is why he was upset.

I was in this beautiful and peaceful area to investigate Picpoul de Pinet, a wine that has swept onto our shelves and become to ‘go to’ wine for seafood lunches.

The grape is properly known as Piquepoul, and a few wine labels still use this spelling, but confusion of the region and the grape means that it is now generally known as Picpoul. This grape has a lively citrus freshness and saline, minerally quality that makes it perfect alongside oysters, but also prawns, mussels and grilled fish.

So strongly is Picpoul associated with seafood that it has been planted in Australia where it is known as the ‘oyster’ grape.

The grape name is sometimes translated as ‘lipstinger’, because it retains its freshness and clear acidity, no matter how hot the weather is.

Another theory translates ‘Picpol’, as the grape was called in the local Oc dialect, as a rocky peak.

Long before we started to enjoy Picpoul as a wine on its own, it had another use. Back in the 1920’s a group of winegrowers worked together to make wine that was exclusively sold to the Noilly Prat vermouth factory, close by in Marseillan.

That factory is still in operation, but changing tastes means that there is now plenty of Picpoul to sell as wine, and the quality has definitely improved over the years.

The wine growing region stretches across 1400 ha of low hills close to the Etang de Thau. The climate is maritime, but with a twist because of the temperature regulating effect of the large saltwater lake. Sea breezes are an important factor in keeping the developing grapes cool and disease pressure low.

The co-operative approach that starting back in the 1920’s continues across the region and now four major co-ops produce the majority of the wine with just 26 private producers making their own wine.

In the past winemaking co-operatives have been seen as an old-fashioned way of making bulk wine, but the successful ones, such as Ormarine, one of the largest in the region has kept very much up to date.

I spent the day with Master of Wine Iain Munson who is Head Winemaker for Jean Jean, the group that brings together various wine production companies from across the region, including Ormarine. He impressed on me the developments that ensures good quality at all stages of production.

“We have to be very careful what is put onto the vines, because of the location of the vineyards which are clustered around the saltwater lake. Everything that goes on the vineyard eventually washes into the lake which supports the massive oyster-growing industry. We cannot use anything that might damage the environment.”

For that reason, Ormarine has Terra Vitis certification which indicates sustainable viticulture, not just for the vines but for the environment around all aspects of winemaking. They have a team of viticulturalists who visit all the 580 growers supplying grapes to the co-operative, making sure that standards are kept. The viticulturalists also schedule picking dates so that the crop arrives at its peak of flavour.

Picking is all done at night, by machine, so that the crop arrives at the winery by early morning, still with the chill of night temperatures on the grapes.

“Machine picking is so good these days, that it is by far the best way to get the crop in”, said Iain. “If we picked by hand the whole process would take much longer and we would miss the peak ripeness for some of the vineyards, and the grapes would be sunshine warm when they arrive at the winery.”

Vintages are important when it comes to enjoying Picpoul de Pinet. This is a wine that really should not stop moving from vineyard to glass, so it is as fresh as possible.

Some Picpoul wines are aged on yeast lees for several months which gives them an added creamier style, so these may be from the previous vintage. There are some aged wines on the market, which could be interesting but possibly lack the sheer vivacity and zest of younger vintages of Picpoul.

Make sure the bottle is well chilled and even keep it dunked in an ice bucket if you are lunching in sunshine. Here are some of the best Picpoul de Pinet wines on the shelves right now.

Fête Picpoul de Pinet 2023, Morrisons £8.50; Bright, fresh and clean with lemon blossom aromas and a lean, lime flavour.

Picpoul de Pinet Blanc Sec 2023, Asda £9.25 down to £8 until July 6: Fresh, lively lime and lemon flavours with a chalky, gravelly crunch.

Picpoul de Pinet, Domaine Félines Jourdan 2023, The Wine Society £9.75: An excellent wine from one of the independent producers in the region. From vineyards close to the lake, this has a sprinkle of herbs amongst the citrus zest.

Villemarin Picpoul de Pinet 2023, Ormarine, Majestic £9.99 on a mix six deal: Fresh and lively with a clear focus on citrus fruit and a minerally crunchy finish.

Ormarine Picpoul de Pinet ‘Cuvée Estela’ élevée sur lies fines 2022 Majestic £11.99 on a mix six deal: This is the one occasion when you should look for the previous vintage. This wine has spent six months on its yeast lees, picking up extra flavour and texture. Try it with lobster.