Picpoul Winemaker Claude Jourdan of Domaine Félines Jourdan enjoying some oysters by the sea with some mighty firm sea breezes (as is evident in the video).
I can honestly say that I find there to be no finer a match for French oysters than the wines of Picpoul.
I’m sure I’ll ruffle a few traditionalists’ feathers when I beg you to forget about matching such specific shellfish with your overrated, overpriced Champagnes, your paint-strippingly unbalanced Chablis, and your manky murky-water Muscadets. For me these oft-referenced partnerships simply fade into insignificance beside my perfect combination.
With a crunchy, snappy, lip-smackingly acidic allure and an unmistakable in-your-face salinity, the better wines of Picpoul placed alongside bivalves pulled from salty Gallic coastal lagoons and bays are, for me, the absolute pinnacle of food and wine pairing.
“Heaven is exactly like where you are right now…”
With this in mind, you can imagine my delight when I was invited to taste through an array of Picpoul wines with simply massive platters of the local oysters upon the shores of Étang de Thau (Lake Thau), Languedoc.
After an afternoon in the sun (and brisk sea breezes) enjoying the briney bounties of the region, I took some time to chat with Winemaker Claude Jourdan of Félines Jourdan about her family’s estate and the wines of Picpoul in general.
A simply beautiful way to spend the latter part of a summer day… although those breezes certainly took their toll on the audio track, hence the subtitles!
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Edinburgh-born/Toronto-based Sommelier, consultant, writer, judge, and educator Jamie Drummond is the Director of Programs/Editor of Good Food Revolution… And that Picpoul coupled with those local oysters was simply divine. Ahhhhhhhh…
