Amateur Reviewer: Angela Bawtree.

Beranger Picpoul de Pinet, Coteaux du Languedoc, 2004.

Thank you so much for asking us to review an unusual wine that has character and a real sense of place!

While tasting this Picpoul de Pinet with two friends, we imagined ourselves in Picpoul's native southern France, sitting by the Mediterranean sea on a warm sunny evening with a glass of this crisp, refreshing wine accompanied by its natural partner - a plate of fresh oysters.

Picpoul de Pinet conjures up this sense of place so well with its clear, bright pale lemon core and hints of silvery green. Fresh and aromatic on the nose, the floral citrus character is overlaid with attractive notes of sweet new-cut hay. (We looked for the saline undertone that is characteristic of Picpoul de Pinet as it grows close to saline lagoons, but were struck by these grassy notes.)

Refreshingly crisp acidity balances the full concentration of fruit on the palate. The distinct lemon citrus character is complemented by touches of smoke, sawdust, almond and rich mineral notes (depth and diversity of flavour that arise from the wine having been left on its yeast lees for a little while). The finish is wonderfully long, with the characteristic slight bitterness of grapefruit coming through at the end.

In our view, this is an excellent example of Picpoul de Pinet. The use of modern cold fermentation techniques has produced a crisp, aromatic and elegant wine that shows this unusual grape variety at its best.

Now, what is it that they say about oysters.............?