Pineau des Charentes
Pineau des Charentes — usually just Pineau — is a French fortified aperitif from the Cognac country of the Charente, made not by fermenting wine but by blending unfermented, sweet grape must directly with young Cognac eau-de-vie and then ageing the marriage in oak. Because the added spirit halts fermentation before it starts, the natural sugar of the grapes is preserved, and the drink sits at roughly 16 to 22 percent alcohol: richly sweet, deeply grapey and, with oak time, softly nutty. It comes in a pale golden white style and a pink-to-copper rosé style. Served chilled and small before a meal, over ice or as the classic Charentais aperitif alongside melon, foie gras or a wedge of Comté, it is one of the emblematic drinks of south-west France.