Pineau des Charentes, or simply Pineau, is one of my favourite aperitifs. Ideal for pre-dinner drinks, lounging in the garden or for a gathering of friends. It has the combination of sweet fruits with the warmth of cognac. When tonic water and ice is added is becomes a delicious adult drink with the taste of summer & winter in the same gulp. It comes in two styles, white or rose. I prefer the rose, it has more body. I usually prepare it in a wine glass, 50/50 with tonic water and a couple of cubes of ice.

Pineau

My tonic water of choice is Fever Tree. Here I have to declare an interest, as it was designed and is produced by my old creative Director from Kalashnikov Vodka. However any tonic water will do.

Pineau is a regional French aperitif, made in the départements of Charente, Charente-Maritime and, to a much lesser extent, Dordogne in western France. While popular within the region  it is less well-known in other regions of France and somewhat uncommon abroad. It is a fortified wine  made from fresh unfermented grape juice to which a Cognac eau-de-vie is added and then matured.

According to legend, during the harvest of 1589, a winemaker accidentally added grape must into a barrel that he believed was empty but in fact contained eau de vie. The mixture was duly returned to the cellars for fermentation. A few years later, the barrel was retrieved and was found to contain the drink that is now associated with the region of Charente.

If you want to impress your friends with a really delicious drink you can buy Pineau on-line at: Swallow Wines, through Amazon or at any Nicolas wine merchant or through their on-line section Spirited Wines.

Post Script: It is also delicious poured over vanilla ice cream