Pineau des Charentes is a Sweet and reasonably strong "Vin de Liqueur" from the Charente (Cognac) region of western France. It is made by adding Cognac brandy from the previous year's distillation (or earlier) to fresh Grape must from the current Vintage. By law, the must must be freshly harvested and, although it may have undergone partial Fermentation, its sugar content at the time of "Mutage" (when the brandy is added) must be greater than 170 g per litre. The Cognac itself must have an Alcohol content of at least 60 % and must have been kept in casks before being used.
The resulting blend has an alcoholic strength of 16-22 % and a sugar content of at least 125 g/l. Any fermentation will have been stopped by the high alcohol content and, as the must remains essentially unfermented, it retains all its "grape" aromas and - ideally - the Varietal characteristics of the grapes used, which develop over time. All Pineau des Charentes is cellar-aged, although this varies according to the type of Pineau produced. White pineau - the most common - must spend at least 18 months in the cellar, 12 months of which are spent in oak barrels.
Mainly cultivated in the south-western part of France, white Jurançon is part of the Cognac and Armagnac grape varieties. It is not related to Jurançon Noir, even though it is quite similar. This grape variety comes from a cross with the white gouais and is in the process of disappearing. Its young leaves are bubbled and downy. The more mature ones have 5 lobes and a petiolar sinus. Jurançon Blanc has small, compact clusters and medium-sized berries. It is hardy and vigorous. Jurançon blanc is associated with an average budburst. This variety is upright. To avoid exhaustion, it is recommended to prune it short. Jurançon often suffers from gray mold, mildew and powdery mildew. Its maturity is early in the third period. In other words, this grape variety matures 20 days after Chasselas. The white wines obtained with white Jurançon are low in alcohol, acid and neutral. If they are distilled, the result is an eau de vie that is not very strong and not very marked.
wines from the region of Pineau des Charentes go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or pork such as recipes of beef tongue in hot pickle sauce, leg of lamb with crust or light stuffed tomatoes.
The Champagne house expanded into the region when it acquired Maison Langlois-Chateau in Saumur back in 1973. It then bolstered its presence in Sancerre with the acquisition of Château de Thauvenay in 2016. Now it has tied up a deal to bring the family-run Hubert Brochard estate into the fold. ‘The acquisition of Hubert Brochard estate represents a unique opportunity to consolidate our footprint in this fantastic region and to continue to promote, in France and internationally, its savoir-faire ...
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Described by Courvoisier as ‘daring’, ‘visionary’ and ‘a first-of-its-kind collaboration’, Courvoisier Mizunara was created by the house’s recently-retired maître de chai, Patrice Pinet, and Shinji Fukuyo, chief blender of Japanese whisky maker Suntory. The project dates back to 2015, when the president of Suntory visited Courvoisier at Jarnac shortly after Suntory took over Beam Global, the Cognac house’s then owner, in a deal worth US$16bn. Pinet expressed an interest in experimenting with miz ...
