But Anne-Virginie Arnaud-Gaujal said Picpoul has been doing relatively well lately because the association that controls producers has been keeping prices stable so that winemakers do not have to take whatever they are offered. Even so, many winemakers, including Ludovic Gaujal, turn over at least half their harvest to be made into bulk wine.
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Paris award-winner
At L'Ormarine, the huge Picpoul cooperative in Pinet, a liter of white piped into a jug or box sells for 1.30 euros (a little less than $1). The least expensive bottle made there, Carte Noir Picpoul de Pinet, is 3.65 euros, and it won an award at a recent competition in Paris.
Picpouls exported to the United States are also surprisingly reasonable -- Guajal de Saint Bon can be found for as little as $8 in some shops. Even in restaurants in Languedoc and in Provence, where they are becoming common, Picpouls are usually no more than 14 euros.
They do have rich mystery, though. No one is sure where the name comes from, but both Ludovic Gaujal and Anne-Virginie Arnaud-Gaujal, however, say it can probably be traced to the fact that chickens wandering the vineyards were able to eat the tiny grapes so easily -- pique also means "peck" and poule means "chicken."
But theory was not on the table at a last lunch in Languedoc, at the Guajal house in the bustling small city of Narbonne, where the winemakers were determined to showcase what perfect partners their wines are for food. The five-course, four-hour affair included brandade and sea snails and no fewer than eight kinds of goat cheese (and a Gruyère).
But the pièce de résistance was the main course: In the fireplace of the very formal dining room, next to the beautifully set table under a crystal chandelier, Simonne Arnaud-Gaujal grilled salmon steaks over Picpoul grapevines.
The smoky-rich flavor of the fish was an especially potent match for the wine; its harmony with grilled food makes it even more suited to summer drinking. The citrusy-flowery aspect goes with any seafood, including mussels and steamed crab. It's also good with mushrooms and, surprisingly, excellent with cheese, especially fresh chevres. I have even had it with Trader Joe's cheese puffs, after bringing a bottle to a friend's terrace to watch the sun set (where another friend saw the bottle and exclaimed: "That's my house wine this summer!")
