Rivesaltes ambré ✦

Rivesaltes ambré

What it is

Rivesaltes is the largest vin doux naturel appellation in France, and ambré is its white face: Grenache blanc and Macabeu, muted with spirit and then held at least two years in deliberately oxidative conditions, often in demijohns left outdoors. What comes out smells of dried apricot, hazelnut and candied peel, with none of the red-fruit weight of its Grenache noir neighbours.

In the kitchen

Serve it cool but not cold, around 12 °C; straight from the refrigerator the candied-peel aromatics flatten out. In a sauce for poultry, reduce it with shallot alone — it carries enough sugar that anything else added will read as jam.

Goes with

Foie gras Apricot Hazelnut Poularde Peach Orange

Same species

Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale DOP Amontillado Armagnac Banyuls Brandy de Jerez Champagne vinegar

Something wrong here, or missing? Tell us

Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health. Drink in moderation.