It is a result of a mistake of a wine maker in the town of Burie in 1589. He had put new grape juice into a barrel containing a small quantity of Cognac. And forgot about it. Sometime later, the wine maker tasted it, liked it and that is how Pineau des Charentes was born.

Today, Pineau des Charentes must be made by Pineau producers from the same grapes and in the same region as Cognac. There are two types of Pineau des Charentes; White which is made of white grapes like St. Emillion, la Folle Blanche and Colombar. Fruity wines are sometimes added (sweet Merlot, white Jurancon, Semilion or Sauvignon).

Rose is made of Malbec, red Merlot, Cabernet franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Cognac is blended with the new grape juice within hours of grapes pressing to produce Pineau des Charentes. Grapes must be very ripe in order to obtain grape juice that is rich in natural sugars. Pineau des Charentes is the result of stopping the fermentation of the grape juice by adding Cognac which must be at least one year old.