 According to Freyssinet, the vine was first planted in Chahaignes in what is now the Sarthe department of the Loire in the 9th century.The grape was known in England by the 13th century when it was a favorite wine of King Henry III of England.Henry, the son of John Plantagenet and Isabella of Angoulême (a commune is what is now the Charente department), began importing casks of Pineau d'Aunis wine to England in 1246.