Vigneron Pepper, Chenin expression

What dishes to use the Chenin expression vineyard pepper in?

In perpetual quest of new flavors, Terre Exotique has imagined an innovative blend of peppers and berries, echoing the Chenin grape variety for a real connection between the plate and the glass.

How to use the Chenin expression vineyard pepper?

Here are some recipe ideas to use the Chenin expression vineyard pepper in your cooking:

• Salmon tartare: to season your salmon tartare, add 3 pinches of Chenin expression vineyard pepper;
• Baked trout: sprinkle 3 pinches of Chenin expression vineyard pepper on your trout before baking it;
• Warm goat cheese toasts: add 1 pinch of Chenin expression vineyard pepper on each of your toasts before baking them;
• Sautéed chanterelles: add 4 pinches of Chenin expression vineyard pepper to your sautéed chanterelles at the end of cooking;
• Chicken with cream sauce: at the end of cooking, add ½ teaspoon of Chenin expression vineyard pepper to your sauce;
• Veal stew: add ½ teaspoon of Chenin expression vineyard pepper to your veal stew at the end of cooking.

The aromas of Chenin expression vineyard pepper

This blend of peppers and berries has fruit notes such as apricot and pear, as well as vegetal notes of white flowers and acacia. In the mouth, there is a spicy and pastry character of brioche and licorice, all perfectly reproducing the flavors of the famous Chenin grape variety.

The botany of a surprising blend

What is in the Chenin expression vineyard pepper?

The vineyard blend is made up of black pepper, pink berries, red Szechuan berries, passion berries, Chiloé berries, and Jamaican berries.

The peppers in this blend

The scientific name of pink berries is Schinus terebinthifolius. The botanical family to which the pink berry belongs is Anacardiaceae, which includes many trees and shrubs such as sumac, mango, and cashew nut trees.

They are wrongly called "pink pepper," but they do not belong to the Piper nigrum genus. Also known as "Bourbon pepper," pink berries mainly grow on the island of Madagascar and on the island of Réunion, in a dioecious tree that can reach up to 10 meters high and whose growth is very fast. Only mature berries are harvested, as they have powerful aromas and are full of flavor. They are then sorted by hand by Malagasy women who possess this unique know-how.

Jamaican berries are the dried fruits of Pimenta dioica, a tree that can reach a height of 30 meters. This tree is native to Mexico and the islands of Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica; it belongs to the botanical family Myrtaceae like Eucalyptus or Manuka. It is common to hear the name "Jamaican pepper" to refer to these berries. However, Pimenta dioica is not part of the botanical genus Capsicum, so it is incorrect to call it "pepper." That is why, at Terre Exotique, we preferred the designation of "Jamaican berry."

Cultivated in Asia, Szechuan pepper gets its name from its favorite region, Szechuan, in China. Szechuan pepper belongs to the species Zanthoxylum piperitum of the botanical family Rustaceae, as is the case with citrus fruits. That is why all berries of the genus Zanthoxylum have flavors similar to those of lemons, oranges, or grapefruits. The shrub with reddish foliage gives birth to small berries. First green, they turn red and then brown at maturity. They then split open to drop the two seeds they contain and offer us their tasty envelope! Leaves, flowers, and fruits are also used for culinary purposes. The Szechuan pepper measures about 5 millimeters; it is slightly misshapen, and its appearance is rough.

Chiloé pepper grows in Drimys winteri, a tree 25 meters high that comes from the humid temperate forest of Chiloé, one of the few rainforests in the world. It produces clusters of fruits the size of raisins that contain very spicy seeds (between pepper and chili). Its balsamic and lemony flavor will make fish and seafood sing, while its wild and warm aromas of gingerbread will make desserts sway. Very spicy, it is recommended to use it with caution before the fiery passion of Chiloé burns you. We also recommend finely chopping Chiloé berries with a knife.

Madagascar black pepper is what botanists call Piper nigrum. It is the fruit of a climbing vine of the Piperaceae family. It grows on a tree with rough and cracked bark that facilitates its ascent, often up to 4 meters in height. Piper nigrum requires a tropical climate with high heat and humidity and an alternation of shade and light to develop properly. Post-harvest handling gives pepper its final color and flavors.

Passion berry comes from Ruta chalepensis, a plant grown in tropical Africa and particularly in Ethiopia for culinary or medicinal use. It is between 1500 and 2000 meters above sea level that this shrub, which can reach a height of 1.5 meters, grows best in full sun. The leaves offer a powerful, aromatic, and sweet fragrance, while the berries have a stronger and less spicy taste.

How did Terre Exotique come up with the vigneron peppers?

Linking glass and plate, a challenge taken up with flying colors!

The vigneron's pepper blends, created in collaboration with a sommelier chef, harmoniously accompany a wine of the same grape variety. They also allow you to train your nose to the aromas of the grape variety in question or to perfectly reproduce the aromatic notes of the grape in a culinary creation.

This collection consists of 3 other blends, each bringing out the aromas of a grape variety:

The Vigneron's Pepper, Cabernet Expression

The appreciation of the grape variety's aromatic notes offered by these blends varies like a good wine, depending on each person's palate: all you have to do is try them to see for yourself!

The Vigneron's Pepper is available in the custom-made box dedicated to world peppers