Piquepoul

Variety of grape
title: "Piquepoul" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["white-wine-grape-varieties", "red-wine-grape-varieties", "languedoc-roussillon-wine-aocs", "grape-varieties-of-france"] description: "Variety of grape" topic_path: "geography/france" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piquepoul" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Variety of grape ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox grape variety"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Piquepoul blanc |
| color | Blanc |
| image | Picpoul.jpg |
| caption | Piquepoul in Viala & Vermorel |
| species | Vitis vinifera |
| also_called | Picpoul, Picpoul blanc, Picpoul de Pinet |
| origin | France |
| hazards | Fungal diseases |
| regions | Languedoc |
| notable_wines | Picpoul de Pinet |
| :: |
| name = Piquepoul blanc | color = Blanc | image = Picpoul.jpg | caption = Piquepoul in Viala & Vermorel | species = Vitis vinifera | also_called = Picpoul, Picpoul blanc, Picpoul de Pinet | origin = France | hazards = Fungal diseases | regions = Languedoc | notable_wines = Picpoul de Pinet | name = Piquepoul Gris | color = Gris | image = | caption = | species = Vitis vinifera | also_called = Piquepoul rose, Picpoul, Picpoul gris | origin = | hazards = | regions = | notable_wines = | name = Piquepoul noir | color = Noir | image = Piquepoul N grappe.jpg | caption = Piquepoul Noir grapes | species = Vitis vinifera | also_called = Picpoul, Picpoul noir | origin = | hazards = | regions = | notable_wines = ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Picpoul_-_Feuilles.jpg" caption="Leaves of Piquepoul vines"] ::
Piquepoul (), Picpoul, or Picapoll is a variety of wine grape grown primarily in the Rhone Valley and Languedoc regions of France as well as Catalonia, Spain. It exists both in dark-skinned (Piquepoul noir) and light-skinned (Piquepoul blanc) versions, as well as a very little grown Piquepoul gris. Piquepoul blanc is the most common of the Piquepouls, with 1000 ha cultivated in France in 2000, and an increasing trend.
Piquepoul tends to bud late and has some sensitivity to powdery mildew.
History
Piquepoul has a long history in the Languedoc region, and along with Cinsault and Clairette blanche is one of the oldest domestic grape varieties of that region. It was blended with Clairette blanche to produce the wine Picardan in the 17th & 18th centuries.
After the Great French Wine Blight, when large shifts in varieties planted took place, Piquepoul lost popularity due to its susceptibility to fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and its low yield.
Piquepoul wines
In Languedoc, Piquepoul blanc which is low in alcohol and high in acidity is used both for blending and for varietal wines. Its fresh, citrus notes are described as dry, tart, and 'lip-stinging' making it suited for accompanying seafood. Red wines produced from Picpoul noir are high in alcohol, are richly scented, but have a very pale colour, which has made the variety more popular as a blending ingredient than as a producer of varietal wines.
Both the blanc and noir versions of Piquepoul are permitted blending grapes for the production of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. However, in 2004 only 0.15% of the appellation's surface was planted with the Piquepoul varieties.
In the New World, Piquepoul is being successfully grown in the foothills of the Chiricahua Mountains (5000 feet above sea level) in the Willcox AVA of southern Arizona. It is also grown in the Red Mountain AVA of eastern Washington State.
Piquepoul blanc is being grown in Sonoma, California.
Piquepoul blanc is also grown successfully in the Texas Hill Country AVA and Texas High Plains AVAs.
In Australia, Piquepoul blanc was first planted in 2013, and the first commercial release of wine was in 2017. Cuttings of the variety were imported for the wine's suitability for drinking with oysters.
Picpoul de Pinet
Picpoul de Pinet is an AOC within the Languedoc AOC for white wines made exclusively from Piquepoul blanc in the communes of Pinet, Mèze, Florensac, Castelnau-de-Guers, Montagnac and Pomérols.
The wines are green-gold in color, full-bodied, and show lemon flavours. They have a soft, delicate nose, with pleasant hints of acacia and hawthorn blossom. Modernization of the winemaking has led to increased interest in these wines.
Synonyms
Synonyms for Piquepoul blanc include Avello, Avillo, Extra, Feher Piquepoul, Languedocien, Picapoll, Picapolla, Picapulla, Picpoul, Picpoul de Pinet.
Synonyms for Piquepoul gris include Avillo, Languedocien, Picapulla, Picpoul, Pikepul Seryi, Piquepoul rose, Szürke Piquepoul.
Synonyms for Piquepoul noir include Avillo, Kek Piquepoul, Languedocien, Pical, Pical negro, Pical Polho, Picalpolho, Picapoll, Picapoll Negro, Picapouia, Picapouya, Picapulla, Picpouille, Picpoul, Picpoule, Picquepoul, Pikepul Chernyi, Pique Poule, Piquerette noire.
Picpoul is also a synonym for the variety Folle blanche, which has no known relationship to Piquepoul.
References
References
- "You say 'lipstinger', I say no". Hudin.com.
- (2006). "Picpoul". Oxford University Press.
- "All you need to know about Picpoul".
- [http://www.chateauneuf.dk/en/production/grapes.htm www.chateauneuf.dk: Grapes], accessed on June 18, 2008
- (8 July 2016). "Wine time: Anaba Wines '15 Picpoul Blanc".
- [http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/462923/130404-KH-First-Oyster-Wine-vine-planted.pdf MEDIA RELEASE: FIRST ‘OYSTER WINE’ VINES PLANTED IN AUSTRALIA], accessed on October 7, 2017
- [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-29/oysters-and-wine-a-magnifique-combination/8997006 Oysters and wine a 'magnifique' combination for Australian grower taking a cue from the French], accessed on October 7, 2017
- Pinet, AOC Picpoul de. "AOC Picpoul de Pinet - Son terroir c'est la mer".
- "Décret du 24 décembre 1985 modifié définissant les conditions de production des vins à appellation d'origine contrôlée « Languedoc » (à titre dérogatoire « Coteaux du Languedoc » peut être utilisé jusqu'au 3 mai 2012)".
- Pinet, AOC Picpoul de. "AOC Picpoul de Pinet - The wine".
- (2006). "Picpoul de Pinet". Oxford University Press.
- link. (2012-04-30 , accessed on June 18, 2008)
- link. (2012-04-30 , accessed on June 18, 2008)
- link. (2012-04-30 , accessed on June 18, 2008)
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::