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DOWN MEMORY LANE
|  | Home > Verjus
VerjusWe remember our first introduction to Verjus (also known as "verjuice" or "ver jus"). A French word pronounced vair-ZHOO, it simply means green juice.
Red or white unripe grapes are pressed into juice and bottled without fermentation. The tart flavor is very unusual to those of us who identify grape juice as a sweet product.
Verjus as a cooking ingredient is actually an old tradition going back to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. However, its popularity has returned in recent years. As one chef put it, "We're very excited to introduce you to a product that is new to us but is a very ancient cooking ingredient."
You can use white Verjus as you would use white wine vinegar or lemon juice. It is often mentioned with with chicken or fish recipes. Red Verjus can be substituted for red wine vinegar or used for marinating. It is particularly good in sauces for meat or spicy foods. (For simplicity purposes, we have identified our Verjus products by their pouring color -- not by typical red or white descriptions associated with various grape varietals.)
Many recipes also utilize Verjus in salad dressings.
If you like to create your own non-alcoholic cocktails, why not start with Verjus as you mix your own taste sensation?
And for those of you who live on the edge, sip it straight from a goblet as we did in the tasting room of one of our suppliers! A quick online search will give you lots of great recipes for this tart, non-alcoholic grape juice.
The good folks at Sonoma's Kiger Family Vineyard in California produced a fascinating and informative photo album of their Verjus process. This small family-owned business does not produce Verjus for the commercial market, but they are great story tellers and agreed to invite you in. Click here to see their Verjus adventure slide show, and then use your back arrow to return to SweetwaterCellars.com.
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|  | |  | |  | 2011 Mendocino Chardonnay Verjus, Navarro Vineyards
California's Navarro Vineyards began producing VerJus in the late 1970s. It was a perfect product fit for vineyard co-owner Deborah Cahn, who holds a doctorate in medieval history. She was familiar with Middle Ages recipes using juice from unripe grapes. Navarro's Chardonnay Verjus is light and full bodied, with subtle apple overtones.
Verjus is tart -- not sweet! | | Oregon Sparkling Riesling Verjus, Draper Valley Vineyards
Oregon Riesling grapes form the basis for Draper Valley Vineyard's first Verjus. The unripe grapes from the harvest were combined with a small amount of carbonation to create a new option for gourmet chefs. Though the taste is crisp, some enjoy the juice as an alternative to lemonade. Due to its limited production, you will want to order Draper's Verjus sooner rather than later!
Verjus is tart -- not sweet!
Synthetic Cork
SULPHITE-FREE | | Napa VinJus
Napa VinJus is created from wine varietal grapes such as Chardonnay. It comes with half the calories and half the sugar content of traditional grape juice. This is the juice from unripe grapes, often classified as Verjus. Its unique balance of crisp, tart and sweet lingers with a hint of green apple, honeysuckle, wildflower and lavender. Use it in cooking or let it tingle your taste buds right from the chilled bottle.
Verjus is tart -- not sweet! | | |  | |  | |  | Fusion Verjus Blanc, Napa Valley
Jim Neal, a young chef in California's Napa Valley, entered the verjus business in partnership with Duckhorn Vineyards and the Charles Krug winery. Using a mixture of varietal grapes from the wineries, Mr. Neal's first product was Fusion white Verjus. Now you can join a number of celebrity chefs by incorporating Fusion into your menu!
Verjus is tart -- not sweet! | | White Verjus, Wolffer Estate Vineyards
Perched on a rise overlooking the lush vineyards to the east and the gently rolling Hamptons landscape to the west, Wölffer Estate Winery is unquestionably one of the most beautiful and stylish spots on New York's Long Island. The vineyard's Verjus is made from a blend of 59% Merlot, 24% Chardonnay, and 17% Cabernet Franc hand picked grapes. The color has a shimmering light pink / copper hue. The nose is exuberant with gooseberries, mint and capsicum. The mouth-feel is fresh with a zesty and clean play between the tart acidity (hints of lime and green apples) and the fine touch of natural sugar.
Verjus is tart -- not sweet! | | Vintage 2010 Verjus, Montinore Estate
In the rolling farm lands of Oregon's Tualatin Valley, Montinore Estate vineyard is home to 230 acres of grapes being tended using the strict methods of Biodynamic farming. This means that instead of applying chemical pesticides and herbicides, you might find the staff spraying chamomile or diluted milk, vines inter-planted with nitrogen rich cover crops, and grape skins, seeds and clippings returned to the soil as compost. Oregon Pinot Noir is used to produce Montinore Estate's Verjus. The resulting juice, however, is white.
Verjus is tart -- not sweet! | | |  | |  | |  | Baby Bacchus Verjus, Trium
Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley is home to Kurt and Laura Lotspeich's vineyard of pampered Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc grapes. After several years of producing a limited amount of Verjus for the family, they bottled their first commercial Verjus from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes harvested in the fall of 2010. Now you can see what the family was enjoying!
Verjus is tart -- not sweet! | | Fusion Verjus Rouge, Napa Valley
After producing Fusion Verjus Blanc, Jim Neal, a young chef in California's Napa Valley, turned his attention to creating a red Verjus blended from from red and white grapes. From San Francisco to New York, many of America's great chefs now have red Fusion on their minds.
Verjus is tart -- not sweet! | | Verjus du Perigord, Castelmuro, France
The Perigord region of France is actually four distinct regions identified by a color. Périgord Pourpre (Purple), one of four, is so named because of the grape juices produced by the local vineyards. It is also the major producer of France's Verjus. Castelmuro's golden Verjus has found its way from the kitchens of France to the chefs of America. Try a bottle and you will see why.
Verjus is tart -- not sweet! | | |  | |  | |  | Boulou Cabernet Verjus, Spain
Spain is home to this Verjus made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes. Its beautiful blush color and tart taste co-mingle in a fascinating sensory blend that will leave you wanting more.
Verjus is tart -- not sweet! | | Boulou Semillion Verjus, Spain
Though the Semillon grape is common in wine production, its availability as a juice has been very limited. Thus we were delighted to discover that Boulou, a Spanish company, has introduced Verjus from this special grape.
Verjus is tart -- not sweet! | | Perigord Verjus, Domaine du Siorac, France
In the south of France the Landat family has been farming since 1818. Today their 135 acres is primarily planted in vineyards. Verjus and wine are produced onsite at the property's modern winery, bottled and sold by the Domaine du Siorac. Perigord Verjus is the dominant French verjus sought by American chefs.
Verjus is tart -- not sweet!
ARRIVING SOON | | |  | |  | Maggie Beer Verjus, Australia
Do not confuse the brand name with a product that is made from unripe grapes! Beer and Verjus are not related. That said, Maggie is said to be the first in the world to produce Verjus commercially. Though the grape varietal changes from year-to-year, this Verjus is a blend of Chardonnay and Viognier. And if happen to travel down under, stop by the farm shop and enjoy a cooking demonstration using Maggie Beer Verjus!
Verjus is tart -- not sweet | | Abacela 2011 Verjus, Abacela Vineyards
Oregon's Umpqua Valley is surrounded by the Klamath Mountains, the Coastal Range, and the Cascades. Because the region's adjacent valleys look nothing alike locals sometimes refer to the region as the Undred Valleys of the Umpqua rather than as a single valley. Abacela lies near the southern end of the valley above Lookingglass Creek. In October 2011 Abacela released its Verjus, a blend of Grenache and Graciano varietals. With only 178 cases produced, the 2011 bottling will likely sell out quickly as did the previous year's juice.
Verjus is tart -- not sweet! | |
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