As we bask in a bit of a late summer sun, there’s still time to savour a perfect white wine

Ormarine is the leading brand of the Picpoul de Pinet appellation, which for those not in the know is based in Pinet in the Languedoc. Here the Picquepoul Blanc grape reigns supreme and Ormarine produce just under half the region’s output.

One of the oldest domestic grape varieties, once called Piquepoul, (pique meaning to prick or sting, ‘lip stinger’,) the grape was very susceptible to powdery mildew or blight. When French vineyards were hammered by downy mildew and phylloxera  in the 19th Century, many growers lost faith in the grape and moved away to more robust varieties.

However it was noticed that blight did not thrive in sandy soils, and so the grape retreated to the coastal areas of Pinet and the Etang de Thau, west of Montpellier. So Picpoul survived to be a sought after wine today.

Cuvée Estela is made from 100% Picquepoul blanc grapes that are harvested at night to preserve the freshness.

Ormarine also mature their wine on the ‘lees’, the exhausted yeast cells, a sediment left behind in the tank. Champagne is also always aged on its lees from 12 months to 36 months. Lees contain mannoproteins that bring mouthfeel, aroma, and flavour, and which also soften the  tannins.

During the ageing process the lees are stirred to create a ‘milky’ brew that allows the lees to react more with the wine before falling back down to the tank bottom. How much and how often the stirring takes place is the winemaker’s art. This lees aged Picpoul was the first white wine in Southern France to use this practice. 

So what do you get with Ormarine’s Cuvée Estela? Well its a vibrant wine, bone dry and very skittish and lively with lots of citrus. The high acidity is what inspired the name ‘lip stinger’.This obviously makes it a seafood wine, thats especially great with oysters thanks to its slightly mineral finish and hints of salinity from the coastal air, the salinity also encourages ‘mouth watering’.

With Xmas coming, I’d also want to serve this with canapés, as well as with some kind of fishy starter. In our house we keep it old skool with prawn cocktail, which might be a bit too overpowering for this wine, but some smoked salmon would be just perfect.

Ormarine Cuvée Estela Picpoul de Pinet, 2023RRP: £14.99 or £11.99 mix six

Stockist: Majestic – find it here