Wine of the moment? 'Le Picpoul'

Vintners say they strive for a balance of bright acidity and full fruitiness in a wine meant to be drunk young. Some age Picpoul in oak, which creates a rounder flavor, and others harvest the grapes late to produce a very fruity but still citrusy dessert wine. Most producers, though, simply take the direct route, allowing the juice of the tiny, pale green grapes to ferment naturally into a light but vibrant wine. If you swirl a glassful vigorously so that it opens up, you can almost smell the sea and taste hints of lemon.

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Picpoul's stars

Easily the best I found in southern France, where it is a sub-appellation of Coteaux du Languedoc, was the same Picpoul poured at Provence in New York and the one most widely available in the United States. Made by the mother-daughter team of Simonne and Anne-Virginie Arnaud-Gaujal, it is sold under two labels, Château de Pinet and Domaine Gaujal de Saint Bon.

Their winery was split off from one in the family for 250 years; a cousin, Ludovic Gaujal, produces Picpoul under his name in a slightly different style, with even more bright acid, at his share of the estate in Pinet. (He is even prouder of his late harvest Picpoul, which is a particularly intense dessert wine.)

Simonne Arnaud-Gaujal took over the winery when her father died 30 years ago, and her daughter joined her after first earning a degree in pharmacology and training as an oenologist. Anne-Virginie Arnaud-Gaujal said she blends the wine, then her mother tastes it blind, after which "an outside company" weighs in.

Finally her father and brother "taste in the role of the consumer." Because she and her mother get along well, she said, they can produce a consistent wine with character even though "Picpoul is not like Sauvignon, which has a lot of aroma on its own; it's very delicate."

Because Picpoul's aromas are a little reticent, they advise opening it two hours before pouring, serving it at 46 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit and swirling it at least 30 seconds in a glass to release the aroma and flavor.

Their wines are aged nine months before release -- "like pregnancy," she said, "because it's woman wine." The 2006 was released in March and April in the United States, however, because the wine is shipped by sea, which ages it.

Languedoc, always the most prolific wine region of France because of its warm climate and rich soil, has been struggling lately, with winemakers actually threatening violence unless prices for their output are raised. (Exactly 100 years ago this summer there were riots -- and deaths -- in the streets when the wine market collapsed.)