What is this balsamic elixir used for? Sunset wine, better known as Christmas wine in Provence.
On Christmas Eve, it is sunset wine that accompanies the thirteen desserts. It sits on the table, a proud partner to the “cacho fio” (the fruit tree log) in front of the fireplace. The oldest and the youngest members of the family walk around the table three times, paying homage to the Trinity. Then, to ward off evil spirits, the oldest throws a glass of sunset wine into the hearth of the fireplace and says in Provençal: “May God grant me the grace to see the coming year, and if we are not more, may we not be less.”
To make this special wine, a huge copper cauldron gently cooks the grape juice. Slowly, the juice will reduce and concentrate. The cellar master carefully watches over the brew, and when its taste and golden color are perfect, the juice will be transferred to vats.
The slow, capricious fermentation inside the oak barrels will transform the juice into sunset wine.
Every year for the past 25 years, a few barrels of sunset wine are isolated and exposed to the elements. The wine will evolve in the barrels, benefit from the natural micro-oxygenation of the oak barrel and be transformed. The alchemy happens slowly, very slowly.
Inside the vinegar factory, everything is carefully monitored: the evolution of the wines, the taste, the color, the concentration, and the acetic bite.
This patience will be rewarded.
For several months, there is nothing to offer. It takes time for nature to do its job.
Just as in the vineyards of Modena, making sunset wine is an art. It is a real challenge to acquire this level of expertise. The master vinegar maker Laure Faure is proud to take part in this adventure. The objective always remains the same--to offer another quality item, another quintessential byproduct of the vine.