Spittoon: We Spit So You Can Swallow
I don’t recall which wine Rick Stein was drinking at the Mediterranean end of his barge tour through France. Perched on a balcony overlooking the Bassin de Thau there was a large platter of seafood in front of him over looking the sparkling waters.
Well, that’s how I recall that particular episode! The wine should have been a chilled bottle of Picpoul de Pinet, the local wine from this sea hugging edge of the Languedoc. Its a classic with sea food; just a perfect match.
But, despite having a tub of fresh seafood in the fridge, a ‘really near its use by date’ chicken won out and became the food accompaniment for the evening. A free-ranger stuffed with a mix of Goan Red and Wild rice mixed with chopped, fried, liver and onions. A stridently flavoured stuffing.
The wine/food combination was not a bad match by any stretch, the high acidity taking the liver and wild rice stuffing in its stride. The lemony, floral edge was fine with the chicken.
But you just have to ask… what would the partnership with the mixed seafood have been like?
Wine Tasting Note: Domaine Félines Picpoul de Pinet, 2007, Languedoc, France.
Waitrose £4.99. [More on Adegga]
Fresh, crisp and lively. Lemony, a touch of herb and a mineral edge give this a distinctive flavour. Dry. Alcohol 13%. Medium to full-bodied.
Scribblings Rating – 90/100 [ out of 5]
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Yes, Rick Stein did have a bottle of Picpoul de Pinet and the location was Bouzigues (33 Herault, Languedoc)where it is the local wine and a perfect compliment to the oysters which are cultivated just offshore. The wine is so named after the grape variety (also known as Piquepoul) which is a light acidic wine, with floral and citrus fruit aromas which render it an ideal accompaniment to seafood. For more about Picpoul de Pinet see FrenchDuck
Perhaps the old brain cells are not as shot as I thought! Glad you remembered more of the details John.
I love Picpoul de Pinet with Oysters and it’s always the best value wine on the list…. Am I just a cheap date?
Greetings. I love Picpoul and have written a few articles on it. Should your subscribers find themselves in the Aude, Languedoc, and are looking for a Directory of wine producers- take a look here
http://www.aude-vie.com
Happy Hunting