by Richard Harvey
There are many references in history to the “madness “of drinking unadulterated wine. No, I’m not talking about the contemporary, well-gnawed bones of contention such as organic vs.biodynamic vs. “natural” wine. This is more a question of wine mixed or unmixed with water at the table.
The Romans considered the invading Viking berserkers to be brutes as they glugged back undiluted wine! Quite un-Roman behaviour, but the Vikings DID manage to invade and pillage much of Europe fuelled by the “high-test”. Romans had the habit of making a dilute cocktail of their wines, often due to the havoc wreaked by the vagaries of oxygen and bacteria. To be kind, perhaps they knew that a modest level of intoxication led to creativity, a bit more to stultification. This discussion does not exactly reflect the current debate over cocktails or shooters versus the “no & low” alcohol wave, but I’ve not partied with any Romans or Vikings of late to solicit their opinions on current drinking trends.
Back in the dawn of time (actually1978), there was a Parisian restaurant that, due to my penurious first sojourn in that city, I needed to explore. Casa Miguel (please see this link to the French National Archives to see I ain’t making this up) was a restaurant that offered a 5 Franc menu. At the time, the French currency traded against the Canadian dollar at 1 Franc = 20 cents CDN. Casa Miguel offered (service compris!) a menu at One Canadian Dollar!
Let’s just say that the Vikings would not have been happy dining here. The tiny “pichet” of red wine was plunked down with an appetizer which consisted of a hunk of pâte/catfood. Then arrived a watery turkey & rice main, stale baguette with a slice of La Vache Qui Rit cheese and an orange as dessert. The vin rouge was diluted just to the point of retaining a vestige of red colour and flavour. All of this was prepared, cooked and served solo by the very resourceful and nearly toothless Madame Miguel. We left the restaurant and went in search of a Donair sandwich to fill our far from full bellies, and perhaps also a glass of Viking-pleasing, hearty Côtes-du-Rhône.
I personally don’t like to have to manipulate or adulterate my wine, but I also concede that potency is not why I drink it in the first place. American writer James Thurber ‘s sage advice was “Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker”. Wanna get wasted? Vodka shots all around! Sure, you can get drunk as a lord or lady on wine, but it fails as an express train to inebriation.
So while the Languedoc region of Mediterranean France is famous for le gros rouge qui tache, and can make boozy, punchy 15% + wines, there is currently a renaissance of indigenous grape varieties that thrive in the hot and dry conditions of 21st Century Languedoc. One of them, Piquepoul Noir, makes a rare appearance on Metrovino’s shelves.
Piquepoul Noir is a rarely seen sibling to the also obscure Picpoul (both spellings are correct) Blanc. It’s capable of producing wines of flavour, satisfaction and digestibility without resorting to adulteration. Keep your water glass and your wine glass full but let ne’er the twain meet in the same vessel! Our version from Villa Blanche sashays in at a delightful 12.5% alcohol yet has lots of personality and flavour.
Try it as an alternative to Pinot Noir or Gamay, on its own or with a pizza topped with caramelized onion, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives and (of course!) anchovies! Get pissaladière tonight!
