Anyone ever tried making pineau de Charentes, or pommeau?
Pineau is unfermented wine must blended with unaged brandy, then aged in wood and bottled around 20% ABV. Pommeau is the Norman equivalent that uses unfermented cider and apple brandy.
I made two bottles of the latter years ago by obtaining a good bottle of apple brandy (not calvados, though…the Lairds bonded stuff, full apple brandy, not the blended applejack) and mixing it 50/50 with Martinellis apple cider. Recapped, and it makes a nice sweet drink, like a liqueur.
Yesterday I did the same with a bottle of unfermented chablis juice, and a bottle of inexpensive American brandy, for a cheap approximation of pineau.
Very interesting I’d say! It would go well with certain foods I’m sure…cheese, certainly, with the sweet/acidic element.
I’ve had the pleasure of drinking Pommeau. It was quite delicious! It might be interesting to “fortify” a cyser with some. Keep us updated on any experiferments. 8)
Both experiments are nice. I’d like to retry the pommeau one with calvados, actually, which I think would be a bit more delicate than the oaky, American apply brandy. Obviously the pineau was done with subpar brandy (Korbel) but the brandy they use for this isn’t even aged, so I figure it wouldn’t be too terribly off the mark, and who wants to blend a $40 bottle of cognac?
I’d like to have a bottle of each on hand, long term…seems like a great thing to pull out for guests after dinner. Pommeau with apple pie might be excessively rich, but I imagine it would be great, anyway!