PIQUETTE

Derived from the French word for “prick” or “prickle,” which describes the drink’s slight fizz, piquette dates to ancient Greek and Roman times, when it was known as lora.

In France, piquette is said to have been the preferred drink of vineyard workers at the lunch table, as its low alcohol encouraged post-lunch productivity rather than an alcohol-fueled stupor. In Italy, piquette has various names including acqua pazza, acquarello and vinello.

While the style is tied closely with France, nearly all European winemaking countries have their own version of piquette, usually made and consumed by field workers and their families.

We've made two from our preferred varietals of course. "Numero Uno" is made from the pressed, unfermented skins of our Grenache Blanc. For both our still Grenache Blanc and our Grenache Blanc Pèt-Nat, which are squeezed as whole clusters in our press and then soaked in water for a day, before being pressed again. The remaining sugar and flavors that are still left in the grape result in a lovely 'wine-like' beverage with a light carbonation with an ABV of 7%. Notes of apricot and honey fill the glass and the natural acidity gives it a nice zing on the palette.

For our "Numero Uno" we use the unfermented skins of our Grenache Noir we whole cluster press for our Grenache Noir Pèt-Nat and Rosé. Same process as the Grenache Blanc, but with the red grape skins we soak up color along with the sugar. Resulting in some awesome cherry and berry notes with the same low alcohol and light fiz. We love them both, and I think you will too.