Château de Beaulon Pineau des Charentes 5 Year-old White

To try and pin it down, Pineau des Charentes sits somewhere between tawny port and dessert wine - nutty, honeyed sweetness and freshness - and is a niche aperitif from the Cognac region. It's a centuries-old local speciality made by adding year-old Cognac to unfermented Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc grape must, then ageing the blend for five years in barrel. Light gold in the glass, with aromas of sun-ripened grapes, subtle honey, and delicate floral notes. The palate is sweet and luscious, those florals returning at the clean, refreshing finish.

An aperitif through and through - excellent served chilled on its own or over ice. It's also finding a home in cocktails, particularly the refreshing P&T with tonic and citrus.

In 1965 Christian Thomas acquired the historic buildings of Château de Beaulon and it's from here that the family business is run. Their cognacs are distilled from the traditional grape varieties in four small copper pot stills, which generate a wealth of fruity aroma compounds compared to larger stills and at Beaulon they pride themselves on ageing their cognac well beyond the legal minimum for each level, resulting in a wonderful blend of aromatic spirit and smooth wood. They also produce excellent examples of the local speciality Pineau des Charentes in which year-old cognac is blended with freshly pressed grape juice before being matured for several years to make a mellow, fruity aperitif.