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Featherstone - Verjus
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Date added;:	12.Oct.2007
Author :	Michael Pinkus - Grape Guy

Description “Here’s something you really must try.” Louise said to me on one of my many visits to Featherstone. She walked over to a shelf, picked up a 500ml bottle with some kind of pinkish liquid inside, and thrust it into my hands. I looked at it with confusion on my face. What I held was a squarish bottle with “Verjus” written on the label … reading the label I learned that it’s unripened grape juice made from Cabernet Franc grapes (Verjus literally means “Green Juice”). I looked up from the bottle at Louise who was smiling and nodding at me. “It’s made all over France, but for some reason, not so much here. It’s used in place of lemon juice or vinegar in recipes and adds better flavour.” When I got it home, I noticed a recipe for Winemaker’s Lemonade on the attached card. Now my father’s the real cook in the family, so I’ll have to get his take on the vinegar/lemon replacement aspect for recipes – but as for the lemonade: the instructions on the card said: “pour verjus over crushed ice, add some sparkling water and a slice of fresh lemon.” I used a 50/50 mix of verjus and sparkling water. The result was a refreshing light lemon flavoured water – a weaker version of Sprite (I suspect the more verjus used the more you bump up the lemony flavour). Funny thing though, in the bottle it smells like grape juice – so where does the lemon flavour come into this? Hmmm, one of those puzzles that will stymie mankind. The attached card also gives you 6 recipe ideas and a history of Verjus and how it’s made, still there are no lemons added, hurt or harmed in the making of the product (so how does it make that nice lemonade?). It’s definitely an interesting and unique product (for around here anyway) – and one I would suggest picking up and experimenting with.

Notes Available at the winery

Region Niagara

Winery Featherstone

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