🍷 Piquette
Also known as: grape-marc drink
Piquette is a drink made from grape marc macerated in water and fermented, or from fermented marc leached with water; EU rules limit its use.
Piquette is a product obtained by fermenting untreated grape marc macerated in water, or by leaching fermented grape marc with water. This is the definition in Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 (Annex II, Part IV). Grape marc is the residue left after pressing fresh grapes.
EU wine rules restrict it. Wine or any other drink for direct human consumption may not be made from wine lees or grape marc, except alcohol, spirits and piquette. Pressing wine lees and re-fermenting grape marc is prohibited for any purpose other than distillation or making piquette. Where a country authorises its production, piquette may be used only for distillation or for consumption in the households of wine producers (Annex VIII, Part II).
Piquette is therefore not a wine category in the EU but a by-product drink.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Piquette → kind of → 🏺 Ancient and special winemaking methods → kind of → 🍷 Types of wine → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🏺 Ancient and special winemaking methods
- Where it is made
- 🗺️ French wine, 🗺️ Italian wine
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Pomace
Frequently asked questions
What does the EU mean by piquette?
A product obtained by fermenting untreated grape marc macerated in water, or by leaching fermented marc with water.
Is it true that piquette is just a weak wine?
No. In EU rules it is not a wine category but a separate by-product drink.
What may piquette be used for?
Where its production is authorised, only for distillation or for consumption in the households of wine producers.
What to read next
- 🗺️ Italian wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grape varieties, appellations.
- 🥃 Pomace — Grape skins, seeds and stems left after pressing.
- 🗺️ French wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
Similar
🍷 Vin cuit · 🍷 Vino cotto · 🍷 Amphora wine · 🍷 Carbonic maceration · 🍷 Talha wine · 🍷 Retsina
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, Annex II Part IV point 10 — definition of piquette (legislation.gov.uk copy)
- Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, Annex VIII Part II points 2–4 — wine lees, grape marc and piquette (legislation.gov.uk copy)
- Wikidata