The new wave of aperitifs: Vin De France cocktails

This Valentine’s Day I was inspired. Let me tell you why.

I happened to meet a couple of lovely people in a Marais cocktail bar in early February, who noticed my penchant for the aperitif. We got chatting, and in a matter of moments they were offering me the chance to taste a ‘new cocktail concept’ at a Wine trade fair on Valentine’s Day (how apt!). Their selling point: these cocktails have a lower alcohol content than traditional aperitifs yet are still packed with flavour.

They are made, not with spirits as the base, but with wine… Vin De France wine to be precise. Curious about the concept, and never one to turn down a cocktail invitation (even though this was for 11 o’clock on a Monday morning!) I found myself on the Metro route 12, direction Porte de Versailles, on my way to Wine Paris on the 14th of February. I’ve not been to a trade wine fair before, but I could easily be persuaded to go again…

Acres upon acres of stands full of bottles of wine, with passionate wine makers pouring samples out for buyers, sommeliers and importers. The atmosphere was friendly and convivial. Arriving in Hall 3, I made my way to the Infinite Bar, where I introduced myself to mixologist and creative drinks wizard-in-chief, Olivier Martinez. He explained the new cocktail concept to me: “The inspiration for these cocktails is to re-imagine the DNA of the aperitif drink, with a mindful eye on reducing the amount of alcohol. Instead of using spirits as the base we use wine. Vin De France, or VDF for short, is perfect for this as many of the wines show the grape variety on the label, and that’s what we want to explore – the way different grape varieties can add distinct flavour profiles to the cocktails we create. The initial concept came from Anivin De France, the trade body for the wine makers of Vin De France, and I have been working with them to develop some of the cocktails we will taste today.” I was eager to try. (Note to readers: I had been provided with my own personal spittoon, so I spat rather than swallowed. Well, everyone else around me was doing that and I didn’t want to look out of place).

My first VDF cocktail was the Chardo Mule. A refreshing combo of VDF Chardonnay wine, ginger beer and lime. Olivier quickly and efficiently pulled together the ingredients, poured them into a large cocktail shaker and did his stuff. As he was preparing my first entrée into this New Wave of cocktails, he explained: “Another part of the concept was to be sure that the cocktails themselves are easy to assemble. Not fussy. There are only a few key ingredients, and these can be found in a supermarket or local shop. These cocktails are for anyone – they are easy to make, and easy to drink.”

I sipped, swooshed and spat. I loved the ginger zing of the Chardo Mule and the tangy lime hit that lingered on the palate. Super refreshing, great tasting and just the perfect drink to have on a sun-drenched terrace in the heat of a Parisian afternoon. Olivier explained that there were other options for the VDF Mule, replacing the Chardonnay with rosé wine, Merlot or a host of other grape varieties. “It’s so easy for you to experiment with this recipe for yourself and discover new flavour combinations with any of the VDF varietal wines,” he explained as he prepared the next delight for me to taste.

Next up was the Flower Rosé, a pretty pink concoction made with VDF rosé wine, tonic and hibiscus syrup (the latter ingredient maybe not something one would find in a smaller supermarket, but other syrups could also be used I am sure, I’m going to try pomegranate if I can’t find hibiscus). Smooth, delicate and delicious, this was a fresh raspberry delight with sweet floral notes and a spicy tang at the end.

You can see the recipes being created here:

Below are my (semi) professional cocktail tasting notes.

CHARDO MULE Nose: Fresh lemon and pungent ginger Palate: A super-fresh hit of ginger and lime with a touch of ripe white peaches and mint on the finish. Thirst quenchingly good. Try variations like the Merlot Mule which replaces the Chardonnay with rich Merlot giving the cocktail reassuringly warming notes of stewed plums and vanilla.

FLOWER ROSÉ Nose: fresh notes of raspberry and cherry blossom Palate: Zingy raspberry notes with a sweet hibiscus nectar twist, and almost spicy on the finish. Very refreshing.