The Essential Ingredient

It’s no secret to anybody interested in cooking that the quality of the ingredients you use plays a big part in the quality of the finished product.

It’s also true that the more you know about these ingredients, the more you’ll think of interesting and varied ways of using them.

Vinegar has a permanent place in most cuisines and in most kitchens, and as with the equally ubiquitous olive oil, to get the best result on the plate, you need to use the best quality vinegar.

We believe the highest quality food products have a story behind them, and Banyuls Vinegar, one of our favourites, is no exception.

This traditional wine vinegar is made from the naturally sweet wine of Banyuls, from around the Banyuls-Sur-Mer area on the southernmost tip of France, where the Pyrenees plunge into the Mediterranean Sea (read more about the region).

It is here, in the arid, infertile soil, that the black Grenache grapes ripen in the hot sun and dry winds. These are harvested and used to produce the rich and powerful Banyuls fortified wine that is destined to become an aromatic and complex vinegar.

The fortified wine, naturally rich in sugar (80 grams of residual sugar per litre), is stored outdoors in 650 litre barrels for four years, exposed to the often-wild weather of the region. This process ages the wine prematurely and allows it to develop exceptional aromatic qualities.

After acetification, the vinegar is matured in oak barrels for a further 12 months, which conserves the natural sugars from the grapes.

The resulting wine vinegar, carrying the powerful and rich aromas of walnut, gingerbread, beeswax, vanilla and liquorice, has a burned-topaz hue with bright, golden tints.

Its rich aromas and complex, mellow taste make it perfect for everything from salad dressings to desserts, marinades to sauces and gravies.

Try Banyuls Vinegar in your favourite recipe and taste the difference the hot sun, dry wind, oak barrels and French expertise makes.

Posted under Essential Ingredients, Featured.