Have you ever heard of verjus? Its alternative spelling is “vertjus,” meaning the juice from “green” or unripe grapes. It is a tart condiment--an archaic substitute for souring or tarting a dish as with lemon juice when there were no lemons. Curiously, lemons arrived in Europe in the 8th century when the Arabs ruled Sicily. The Romans had no lemons. They had only citrons, which do not give a lot of juice, but were used for their thick, scented rind. But verjus was widely known and used. Both European and Arab recipe books of the late Middle Ages, make frequent mention of verjus, since it was easy to produce from unripe grapes and lent a good bit of sharpness to recipes, especially long cooked dishes where you need some sharpening of flavor but not a lot of acidity. Since Lawer Verjus was just produced in the 2024 vintage, I thought our customers might like to try it. Verjus is an ingredient that time has forgotten.

Made by Cary Gott, a noted Napa Valley winemaker with more than 50 years making wine in California, this is his first effort at making verjus.

Lawer Verjus has a very pale pinkish tinge. A very fresh, lovely scent of flowers and some grape-y scent that is very pleasant. The flavor is a sharp flavor, somewhat akin to a very tart apple taste. It has a definite sharpness and then a round finish that does not leave a puckery taste in the mouth, but a rather round pleasantness. There is very little citric acid in grapes, but a lot of malic acid which is balanced by some sugar natural to the unripe grapes. It is delicious mixed with sparkling water to make a pleasant, nonalcoholic drink.

Verjus is a culinary relic. Do not expect the same results when using as with lemon. But is it a taste that brings back flavors that were in fashion once and now have been out of fashion for nearly seven centuries. This may be its revival!

LAWER VERJUS Made from Syrah from Knights Valley, Sonoma, CA.