Just Pour: A No-Nonsense Wine Guide to Pineau d'Aunis

Heads will turn when you bring this bad boy to the party

A few weeks ago I held a tasting of a grape that’s not known to many. Through 10 examples we got up close & personal with Pineau d’Aunis, a varietal that’s as quirky and charismatic as it sounds. Pineau d’Aunis is not just any grape; it's like a vintage vinyl you find in your cool uncle’s basement - rare, full of character and underrated.

Originating from the Loire Valley in France, this grape has an ancestry that’s quite exciting to explore. Back in the day, nobody could tell Burgundy's Pinot from Loire's Pineau until the late 1800s. Pineau d’Aunis was planted all over the Loire Valley then. To dodge the mix-ups, everyone started calling Pineau ‘Chenin’ around the 1870s to 1890s, which turned Pineau d’Aunis into Chenin Noir. There was a hot minute when people thought Chenin Noir and Chenin Blanc were related. Once that was debunked and they sorted the names, giving Pineau back to the Loire grapes, Pineau d’Aunis got its old name back and Chenin Noir fell out of use. And you thought your relationship was complicated.

Now, let’s get to the easier part - the grape’s profile. In the vineyard it’s definitely high maintenance, needing loads of pruning and is super prone to mold and mildew. It's also picky about soil conditions, ripening early if there's too much limestone and dragging its feet if there’s too much clay. In the winery, it's a real challenge to work with as well, so this may have scared potential admirers away.