Piquette
The ancient thrift drink reborn: a low-alcohol, lightly fizzy 'second wine' made by refermenting pressed grape pomace with water.
About Piquette
Piquette is one of the oldest ideas in wine, lately reborn as a symbol of the low-intervention movement. For centuries it was the vineyard workers' ration: rather than discard the pomace (the skins, seeds, and pulp left after pressing), growers rehydrated it with water, let the residual sugars referment, and drew off a light, tart, faintly fizzy drink of low alcohol. The modern craft revival — led by natural winemakers who prize zero-waste, low-alcohol, and easy drinking — treats piquette as a legitimate style in its own right: cloudy, spritzy, refreshing, often canned, and usually 4–9% ABV. It sits between wine, cider, and something entirely its own. Editorially it captures two current currents at once — the sustainability ethos of using the whole grape, and the swing toward lower-alcohol, more casual drinking. It is deliberately humble, and that is the point.
Production process
Principal producers
- Various low-intervention producers
Editorial notes
Drink very cold and very fresh; it is not a wine to cellar or contemplate, but a refreshing low-alcohol pleasure. Legally often labelled as a 'wine-based drink' rather than wine.