POUR THE

Consider this fizzy, low-ABV beverage your new summer sipper

BY LAUREL MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY BY AGA SIMPSON

When Ian Brand started making piquette, some of his industry colleagues wondered why an accomplished—and very busy—winemaker would dedicate time to producing a beverage that, categorically, isn’t even wine.

“It’s a byproduct of winemaking,” says Brand, owner of the Salinas winery that produces the labels Le P’tit Paysan, La Marea, and I. Brand & Family. “But we wouldn’t be producing piquette if I didn’t enjoy making or drinking it. I don’t spend time on pointless ventures.”

The beverage in question is made by adding water to grape pomace, the leftover skins, seeds and stems from winemaking. The rehydrated pomace, when pressed, yields a juice with enough sugar for another alcoholic fermentation, resulting in a fizzy, unfiltered, low-ABV vinous beverage, the name of which derives from the French word for “prickle.”

Piquette can be made from any grape varietal or blend of varietals. Its production dates to the ancient Greeks and Romans but it gained widespread popularity among European vineyard laborers and farmers in the 19th century as a thirst-slaking drink that didn’t leave them too tipsy to finish work.

Despite its humble origins, piquette today is regarded as an affordable, sessionable beverage that averages 4% to 5% ABV. “For modern winemakers, it’s a great way to minimize waste and make a high-quality beverage with a low production cost,” says Brand. The only drawback to piquette is that the low acid and alcohol levels make it prone to microbial contamination.

Stateside, piquette has been gaining traction for several years, thanks to small, sustainable producers like Brand and Todd Cavallo of New York state’s Wild Arc Farm. Brand was motivated to make piquette after having an epiphany while sipping a jamaica (hibiscus flower) agua fresca at a Mexican restaurant in Salinas.

“Hibiscus flowers have antimicrobial properties and a sweet-tart flavor profile,” he says. “I thought that adding them to a piquette would not only retard microbial growth, but also balance the flavor and give it more body. Think of it as a natural take on a wine cooler, with organic grapes and flowers, and water. That’s it.”

Brand sources dried hibiscus from Monterey Bay Herb Co. and uses sauvignon blanc pomace from Soledad’s Zabala Vineyards. The piquette yields dominant notes of lemon verbena and tropical fruit, with an herbal lilt. “It combines the aspects of a rosé with a citrusy sour beer,” says Brand, who recommends his piquette, which retails for $18, for sipping poolside or enjoying with friends and some salty or pickled snacks.

“Our piquette is pretty special for a couple of reasons,” he says. “We make a lot of sauvignon blanc, so there’s a higher skin to water ratio, which means more sugar and flavor, and it has a higher ABV at 7.5%.”

The winery makes between 75 to 100 cases of piquette a year, which are sold at the Carmel Valley tasting room and at regional retailers including Coast in Big Sur. “Ian and his team are lovely and create thoughtful wines including the piquette,” says Chloe Scott, Coast’s general manager. “It’s refreshing and vibrant.”

Adds Evan Loewy, Seaside’s Other Brother Beer Co. co-founder, “Sadly, the American market often associates ABV with price point, and at 5% to 11%, it puts piquette into a unique category that needs more education. But the concept makes sense, and conceptually piquette provides room for creativity.”

Other Brother carries several piquettes, including Wild Arc’s Concord Grape Piquette, which Loewy describes as “an adult version of Welch’s.” He also enjoys piquettes blended with apples or pears. “Piquette is versatile and also adds bubbles, fruit and body to cocktails without diluting them.”

As far as Brand is concerned, piquette has a bright future in the United States. “Any snobbery (against piquette) says more culturally about wine than piquette. Wine is about a time-honored, place-based beverage; piquette is its own thing.”