Lone Star Verjuice 2021
Vineyard:
The fruit for this condiment was sourced predominantly from fruit thinning for our Premium Pinot Noir.
Some fruit also came our Chardonnay block to lighten crop load n a cool season.
Fruit was picked in early February, 2021
Process
The fruit was pressed in a traditional basket press and the juice transferred to demijohns to settle.
Potassium sorbate and Sulphur dioxide were added to interrupt any spontaneous fermentation.
After a short time the juice was bottled and sealed.
Verjuice Bottled: 1 April, 2021
Vegan friendly: no animal products used.
About Verjuice
Verjuice is nonalcoholic and a condiment (not a beverage).
A traditional practice when fruit dropping in smaller vineyards has been to use it to make Verjuice. Because some of blocks would benefit from less fruit load it was a fortuitous juxtaposition between surplus unripe fruit and verjuice making.
Verjuice is best used in cooking; it provides a fruity acidic lift to almost anything. It enhances acidity without the tartness of vinegar. And the result is a flavour boost without detracting from the core ingredients.
It’s great in dressings and sauces and we particularly like using it to bake stone fruits or rhubarb. Just add a bit of brown sugar into a baking dish with the fruit and verjuice and voila: a yummy, cooked fruit for dessert.
A word of warning – Verjuice is not designed to be consumed on its own.