Cocktails with Piquepoul and Sauvignon Blanc, wine beyond the wine glass

The wine purists will scoff, but people have been mixing wine with other ingredients for at least two thousand years. The ancient Greeks apparently considered drinking neat wine almost barbaric, so it was usually diluted, often spiced, sometimes sweetened with honey. Medieval France had hippocras, a spiced wine with ginger and cinnamon served at feasts from Paris to Lyon. The wine cocktail is not a modern invention, it is one of the oldest things we do with wine.

What has changed is the quality of the base. A Picpoul de Pinet or a Sauvignon Blanc from Pinet brings something to cocktails that bulk wines cannot - authentic character plus a brightness that stands against citrus and ice rather than disappearing into it. Both are crisp, dry, and high in natural acidity, which means they behave in cocktails the way a good mixer behaves: they add freshness, carry other flavours without dominating them, and maintain their character even when combined with stronger ingredients.

These recipes are not designed to overpower or disguise the quality wines we make at Domaine Romain Julbe, but to let the wines do something different for aperitifs or summer evenings. The kind of drink that invites conversation rather than contemplation. All of them work best when the wine is properly chilled before you begin.

Piquepoul and Grapefruit

Sharper, more demanding, better for an aperitif.

• 100ml Piquepoul de Pinet

• 40ml fresh grapefruit juice

• 10ml honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water, stirred)

• Ice

• A strip of grapefruit zest

Method:
Combine Piquepoul, grapefruit juice, and honey syrup in a glass over ice. Stir to combine. Express a strip of grapefruit zest over the top — hold it skin-side down and give it a firm twist over the glass — then drop it in. Serve immediately.

Why it works: Grapefruit and Piquepoul share a similar citrus register. The honey pulls them together and softens the edge without adding sweetness that fights the wine.

Sauvignon Blanc and Cucumber Cooler

Clean, herbal, and very easy to drink.

• 100ml Sauvignon Blanc

• 4–5 thin slices of cucumber

• 20ml fresh lime juice

• 10ml sugar syrup

• Sparkling water to top

• Ice

Method:
Press cucumber slices in the bottom of a glass, firmly with a spoon or muddler to release the juice. Add ice. Pour over the Sauvignon Blanc, lime juice, and sugar syrup. Top with sparkling water. Stir gently and serve.

Why it works: Sauvignon Blanc from Pinet has a green, herbaceous quality — grass, fresh herbs, sometimes a hint of green pepper. Cucumber amplifies that character rather than masking it. Lime adds brightness.

This is an excellent drink for guests who don't usually reach for wine.

White wine pear sangria

Clean, herbal, and very easy to drink.

• 2 bottles of Picpoul de Pinet or Sauvignon Blanc

• 3/4 cup triple sec

• 1 cup pear flavored vodka

• 2 mandarin oranges, sliced (or whatever orange citrus fruit is available)

• 2 pears, sliced – be sure to remove the seeds

Method:
In a large jug or punch bowl, combine equal parts wine, triple sec, vodka, oranges and pears. Stir and chill in fridge. Let flavors combine for at least a 2 hours before serving.

Why it works: aside from Sangria's association with fun times and sunny days, these white wines allow the fruits flavours to be tasted, rather than drowned out.

Blanc de Pinet aperitif

Something with a little more structure, closer to a proper cocktail.

• 80ml Piquepoul de Pinet

• 20ml dry vermouth

• 10ml fresh lemon juice

• Ice

• A green olive or a lemon twist to finish

Method:
Combine Piquepoul, dry vermouth, and lemon juice in a glass over ice. Stir for about 20 seconds — long enough to chill without diluting too much. Strain into a chilled glass. Finish with a green olive on a cocktail pick or a twist of lemon zest.

Why it works: Dry vermouth shares the same botanical, slightly bitter character as Piquepoul. Together they make something more interesting than either alone. The lemon keeps it from becoming flat. This is the kind of drink you serve when you want people to ask what it is.

Interested in zero-alcohol cocktails?

Blanc de Pinet aperitif

Something with a little more structure, closer to a proper cocktail.

• 80ml Piquepoul de Pinet

• 20ml dry vermouth

• 10ml fresh lemon juice

• Ice

• A green olive or a lemon twist to finish

Method:
Combine Piquepoul, dry vermouth, and lemon juice in a glass over ice. Stir for about 20 seconds — long enough to chill without diluting too much. Strain into a chilled glass. Finish with a green olive on a cocktail pick or a twist of lemon zest.

Why it works: Dry vermouth shares the same botanical, slightly bitter character as Piquepoul. Together they make something more interesting than either alone. The lemon keeps it from becoming flat. This is the kind of drink you serve when you want people to ask what it is.

Blanc de Pinet aperitif

Something with a little more structure, closer to a proper cocktail.

• 80ml Piquepoul de Pinet

• 20ml dry vermouth

• 10ml fresh lemon juice

• Ice

• A green olive or a lemon twist to finish

Method:
Combine Piquepoul, dry vermouth, and lemon juice in a glass over ice. Stir for about 20 seconds — long enough to chill without diluting too much. Strain into a chilled glass. Finish with a green olive on a cocktail pick or a twist of lemon zest.

Why it works: Dry vermouth shares the same botanical, slightly bitter character as Piquepoul. Together they make something more interesting than either alone. The lemon keeps it from becoming flat. This is the kind of drink you serve when you want people to ask what it is.

Blanc de Pinet aperitif

Something with a little more structure, closer to a proper cocktail.

• 80ml Piquepoul de Pinet

• 20ml dry vermouth

• 10ml fresh lemon juice

• Ice

• A green olive or a lemon twist to finish

Method:
Combine Piquepoul, dry vermouth, and lemon juice in a glass over ice. Stir for about 20 seconds — long enough to chill without diluting too much. Strain into a chilled glass. Finish with a green olive on a cocktail pick or a twist of lemon zest.

Why it works: Dry vermouth shares the same botanical, slightly bitter character as Piquepoul. Together they make something more interesting than either alone. The lemon keeps it from becoming flat. This is the kind of drink you serve when you want people to ask what it is.

Blanc de Pinet aperitif

Something with a little more structure, closer to a proper cocktail.

• 80ml Piquepoul de Pinet

• 20ml dry vermouth

• 10ml fresh lemon juice

• Ice

• A green olive or a lemon twist to finish

Method:
Combine Piquepoul, dry vermouth, and lemon juice in a glass over ice. Stir for about 20 seconds — long enough to chill without diluting too much. Strain into a chilled glass. Finish with a green olive on a cocktail pick or a twist of lemon zest.

Why it works: Dry vermouth shares the same botanical, slightly bitter character as Piquepoul. Together they make something more interesting than either alone. The lemon keeps it from becoming flat. This is the kind of drink you serve when you want people to ask what it is.