Vigneron Pepper, Gamay expression

What dishes can the vigneron expression Gamay pepper be used in?

In perpetual search of new flavors, Terre Exotique has created an innovative blend of peppers and berries that echo the Gamay grape, for a true link between the plate and the glass.

How to use the vigneron expression Gamay pepper?

Here are some recipe ideas to use the vigneron expression Gamay pepper in your cooking:

• Vigneron pepper mayonnaise: add ½ teaspoon of vigneron expression Gamay pepper to your mayonnaise before whisking. Ideal for enhancing the flavors of a seafood platter;
• Baked trout: sprinkle 3 pinches of vigneron expression Gamay pepper on your trout before baking;
• Béchamel sauce: in the preparation of your béchamel sauce, add 3 pinches of vigneron expression Gamay pepper at the end of cooking;
• Cheese platter: add a pinch of vigneron expression Gamay pepper on your cheese slice;
• Pork chops in sauce: at the end of cooking, add 1 pinch of vigneron expression Gamay pepper on each pork chop;
• Raclette: place your raclette cheese slice in the pan, then sprinkle a pinch of vigneron expression Gamay pepper on top.

The flavors of the vigneron expression Gamay pepper

This blend of peppers and berries has notes of red fruits and peaches as well as vegetal notes of dried flowers and iris. In the mouth, a spicy and empyreumatic character of blond tobacco and clove emerges; all perfectly restoring the aromas of the famous Gamay grape.

The botany of a surprising blend

What does the vigneron expression Gamay pepper blend contain?

The vigneron blend is made up of IGP Kampot red pepper, pink berries, cubeb pepper, voatsiperifery pepper, Tasmanian berry, and finally, Szechuan berry.

The peppers in this blend

The scientific name of pink berries is Schinus terebinthifolius. The botanical family to which the pink berry belongs is the Anacardiaceae family, which includes many trees and shrubs such as sumac, mango, or cashew tree. Pink berries 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 Reunion in a dioecious tree that can reach up to 10 meters high and whose growth is very fast. Only fully matured berries are harvested, as they have powerful aromas and are full of flavors. They are then sorted by hand by Malagasy women who possess this unique know-how.

The Cubeb pepper is obtained from berries harvested before they ripen, dried, and ground. You can consume it directly by chewing the berry. This small peppercorn with a tail mainly grows in the southwest of India, between Sumatra, Java, or Borneo.

The Kampot pepper belongs to the species of Piper nigrum, a genus of pepper found in India, Cameroon, and Southeast Asia.

The seeds of this pepper grow on a vine that can climb several meters high. For several months, the vine grows and produces clusters. When the color of the berries turns red, it means they are optimally mature. The clusters are then harvested promptly to avoid rotting. In Kampot, the red berries are soaked in boiling water and then in ice water immediately after being harvested. They are then dried for several days in the shade and sun to fix the flavors and red color of the pepper. The berries are then sorted and calibrated to keep only the best ones.

The Voatsiperifery pepper comes from the Piperaceae family; it is the fruit of the Piper borbonense vine in the tropical forest southeast of the island of Madagascar. The etymology of its name comes from "voa," which means fruit, and "stiperifery," which is the name of a plant in Malagasy.

The Tasmanian berry grows wild in the rainforests of northeastern and northwestern Tasmania. The main collection area is on the hills of "Surrey Hills," near the now-extinct city of Parrawe. The berries are hand-collected from March to April and then dried in the open air.

Only 5 tons of Tasmanian berries are harvested each year. The Tasmanian berry, widely used among Aboriginal peoples, is now essential in Australian local cuisine called "bushtucker": a collection of wild animal and plant species in Australia.

Moreover, the term "bushtucker" can refer to the privileged status enjoyed by the man of the Aboriginal tribe responsible for hunting and gathering.

Cultivated in Asia, the Szechuan pepper takes its name from its preferred region, Szechuan, in China.

The Szechuan pepper belongs to the species of Zanthoxylum piperitum of the Rutaceae family, like citrus fruits. That is why all berries of the Zanthoxylum genus have flavors similar to those of lemons, oranges, or grapefruits.

The shrub with purple foliage gives birth to small berries. At first green, they turn red, then brown when mature. They then split open to drop the two seeds they contain... and offer us their delicious shell! Leaves, flowers, and fruits are also used for culinary purposes.

The Szechuan pepper measures about 5 millimeters. It is slightly deformed, and its appearance is rough.

How did Terre Exotique come up with the winemaker's pepper blends?

Linking the glass to the plate, a challenge met with flying colors! The winemaker's pepper blends, created in collaboration with a sommelier, harmoniously accompany a wine of the same grape variety. They also allow you to educate your nose to the aromas of the grape in question or perfectly restore the aromatic notes of the grape in a culinary creation. This collection is composed of 3 other blends, each bringing the aromas of a grape variety:

The vigneron's pepper, Cabernet expression

The vigneron's pepper, Sauvignon expression

The vigneron's pepper, Chenin expression

The appreciation of the grape variety's aromatic profile offered by these blends varies like a good wine, depending on each person's palate: all that's left is for you to try them to find out for yourself! 

The vigneron's pepper is available in the custom box dedicated to world peppers