Please drink responsibly.
Please drink responsibly.
The use of vine's blossoms as a component of G’Vine’s aromatic bouquet is the bold choice of Jean-Sébastien Robicquet.
It is a rare and precious ingredient due to its fleeting flowering season. There is a short harvest window as vine blossoms flower each June for only a few days. G’Vine Floraison owes much of its finesse and elegance to the harmonious pairing of vine blossoms and grape brandy.
Vine's blossoms is a crucial step in the reproductive cycle of grapes. The flowers usually appear in June, when they are pollinated and fertilized after just a few days of blooming, eventually resulting in a grape berry.
The flowering period depends on many factors including climate. After a mild and sunny winter, vine’s can bloom as early as May. Conversely, a rainy and gray winter will slow the process significantly.
Vine blossoms grow in clusters, just like the ones we’re used to grow in. They are discrete, as small in size as they are subtle in fragrance. From the moment these grape flowers appear it is another 90 to 100 days until the next harvest.
Vine blossoms: the secret to G’Vine’s excellence
G’Vine Floraison is the first alcohol in the spirits industry to make use of vine blossoms. It is an innovative and surprising component of this premium gin that has helped rank it among the most consumed in the world.
The use of Ugni blanc grapes seemed obvious given the location of Maison Villevert. Situated in the heart of the Petite and Grande Champagne sectors of the Cognac region, our vineyard and home are surrounded by emblematic Ugni blanc grapes. Brandy made from these grapes is at once smooth and heady, while still being neutral enough to bring out the best qualities in each plant and spice macerated into the gin.
Vine blossoms add to it a complex bouquet of aromas with notes of sweet yellow fruits and white flowers, enhanced by a hint of spice and bitterness. While their fragrance might be subtle on the vine, their flavors unfold and embellish during maceration. Together with the Ugni blanc brandy they help to balance the other ingredients with a captivating roundness. You can thank these ephemeral grape flowers for G’Vine’s delicacy and the freshness it adds to your cocktails.
Vine blossom harvest is possible thanks to the hard work and specific skillset of our team who employs the same techniques that have been used to produce exquisite flowers and grapes for centuries.
The size of the vine during winter indicates how many clusters there will be come spring. It is a crucial step in the vine blossom’s growth and many criteria must be achieved in order to produce a sufficient number of flowers. Don’t forget that in order to produce such a unique gin, Maison Villevert assumes the bold choice to harvest vine blossoms before they have a chance to become grapes.
Once flowering occurs there are only five days to harvest these fragile flowers. This is, perhaps, the most precarious part of the entire process; unexpected rainfall or sudden strong winds can greatly affect the integrity of the harvest. Manual harvesting remains the only way to preserve the subtle fragrance of such delicate flowers. Once the vine blossoms are collected and sorted through for quality control, they are placed in a muslin bag and immersed in neutral grape spirit in an alembic to steep, releasing all of their precious aromas.
