Verjuice has been commonly available in Australia since Maggie Beer made one of the first Australian versions over 30 years ago.

At that time I was working with Barry Platt from Platts wines in Mudgee and I badgered him into producing a version from Mudgee. I developed a range of recipes to show people how lovely and versatile this non-alcoholic grape juice can be.

This vintage, all these years later, I’m casting my mind back to share with you my favourite and most versatile of these recipes.

Verjuice (or verjus as the French call it) is simply unripe grape juice, picked ahead of the winemaking season while the grapes are still astringent. It is crushed, filtered and stabilised before bottling. David has made ours with Zinfandel crop thinning’s, a nice little nod to our waste-free ethos here at Tinja.

Because of the tart, piquant nature of verjuice you can generally use it in the place of vinegar or lemon juice where these are called for in a recipe. Splash a generous amount in your roasting dish to pick up all the lovely caramelised meat or fish juices, return to the heat and reduce a little before pouring over your meat or veggies.

It also makes a delicious refreshing drink with lots of ice and soda or sparkling water.

When you open a bottle keep it in the fridge and use it within a couple of weeks, which shouldn’t be difficult once you get in the habit of splashing it about!

— Kim