01/26/06 Food and wines - Verjus

Welcome to Vine to Wine. This is your host Linda Moran and today is food and wine pairing day. Although we really aren't going to discuss wine we are going to discuss an interesting product that is made from wine grapes. It is a condiment used in cooking, known as Verjus. A few years ago, the son of friends, who happen to own a vineyard was in school to become a wine maker. Their son, who is rather worldly, got the idea that he should experiment with the making of Verjus. He offered me a few bottles to use in my cooking. It was really my first time experimenting with Verjus and it was quite fun. So what is Verjus and what do you do with it? Well Verjus is made by picking red grapes when they are still green and unripe. The grapes are pressed and processed, but  the juice is not fermented into alcohol. The result is a high acid tart juice used in much the same way that you might use vinegar. Although, it is to me, more desirable than vinegar, in many cooking applications. I have found it to be delightful in sauces, salad dressings, marinades and soups. Although simply grilled new potatoes tossed with Verjus and kosher salt is a favorite at our house. I find mush of the Verjus from California to be too sweet but if you look around and experiment, you will most likely find many that you enjoy. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at Vine to Wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.