Verjus (French for “green juice”) is the juice of unripe wine grapes.
Verjus, also referred to as verjuice, makes an excellent substitute for citrus or vinegar in both cooking and cocktails. Unfermented, the juice is naturally non-alcoholic. Verjus has long been valued for its vibrant acidity.
Verjus is an ancient ingredient that plays vital roles in cuisine around the globe. In different parts of the world, verjus goes by different names, such as:
As you will read below, our juice is essentially a winemaking byproduct. These unripe grapes are unwanted by wine makers. We contribute to our food system by upcycling these wasted grapes into a versatile ingredient.
There are many ways to make verjus, but here's the overview of how we do it:
Harvest: We work with several Colorado vineyards to harvest unripe wine grapes. We use a blend of red and white grape varietals to make our verjus. Varietals we have utilized in the past include Chardonnay, Chambourcin, Dolcetto, Mourvèdre, Pinotage and Viognier.
Juicing: The unripe wine grapes are collected and juiced using a bladder-style wine press. We conduct several gentle pressings to ensure all the juice is extracted. Once the juice is extracted from the unripe berries, it is stored in a stainless steel tank, taking care not to let the juice ferment. The leftover grape skins, seeds and stems, known as pomace, is sent to a local composting facility.
Bottling: We allow the juice to settle in the stainless steel tank for several days. Prior to bottling, we filter and conduct a low-temperature pasteurization to keep the juice fresh, clean and stable. Once bottled, the verjus is safe to cellar for a year or more.
Verjus is known to have been used throughout the Middle Ages, and perhaps back to the times of Ancient Greece. Verjus was predominantly used wherever grapes were grown around Europe, Middle East, and North Africa. The first record of verjus in a recipe (that I know of) occurred in France in the 1300s. Verjus was also referenced in the 14th century book Tacuinum Sanitatis, a guide for healthy living.
Verjus' acidity was helpful in killing bacteria and tenderizing meats. Many sauces, stews, and condiments called for this sour grape juice. In fact, the original Dijon mustard recipe called for verjus. However, once crusaders brought lemons back with them from the Middle East, citrus slowly became the standard acidifier for cuisines around Europe.
While verjus typically refers to grape juice, in the past other fruits have also been used. Historic recipes from the 18th Century record methods of utilizing crab apples for verjus.
Despite the domination of citrus, verjus remained an important ingredient to segments of Europe and the Middle East. Verjus has seen a small resurgence over the last few decades as the craft cocktail and farm-to-table food movements have taken hold. We hope to see verjus return as an everyday staple.
Verjus is a versatile, acid-forward ingredient to use in beverages and cooking. Consider verjus as an alternative to lemon, lime, vinegar or cooking wine. We find verjus has a unique flavor compared to most other commonly used acidifiers. (Want to geek out? Read the next section.) As the grapes are unripe, we find our Early Season Verjus presents a green, vegetal note, along with flavors of granny smith apple, underripe cantaloupe and bright minerality. Our Late Harvest Verjus, while still tart, expresses flavors of ripe red apple, tart strawberry, and hibiscus.
For guidelines and specific recipes, check out our recipe page.
Prior to becoming a verjus maker, I was a cocktail geek. As I built a cocktail recipes around things like shrubs (sweet-tart fruit vinegars), and verjus, I quickly learned that there are different types of acids. Furthermore, different types of acids can shift the dynamic of food and beverage.
Verjus is high in malic acid (think tart granny smith apple) and tartaric acid (sour candies- Warheads, anyone?). Verjus is typically an alternative to using citrus (citric acid) or vinegar (acetic acid). I find that understanding types of acids helps understand where verjus should and should not be used.
To help break this down, here's a handy little chart of common acids, their sources, and some profiles that come to mind when I think of the acid.
With these tools in mind, head over to our Recipe page for further guidelines and recipes. Questions? Please contact us! We love to answer questions or hear about your own successes with verjus.
