Can we put the bad wine news at the bottom of a vat for a moment? THANKS. A great idea was brewing at the other end of the department, in Dieulivol near Monségur. She raced down the Dropt then the Garonne to dock on the Quai des Chartrons in Bordeaux. Winemaker Perrine Nègre from the Valentin Piquereaux house goes back to the source of the taste adventure: “We met the restaurateur Jérémy Lavalade from the bistro brasserie Comptoir 15. That’s where the red spritz was born. »
The whole world knows the classic spritz: Aperol, prosecco, sparkling water and orange. The inventor of the 100% Bordeaux cocktail decided to exchange the sparkling white wine with a sparkling red wine created by the Monségurais winegrowers: Bulles de Valentin.
On the cocktail podium
The rest of the recipe: “I use Lillet blanc (Podensac) and Abatilles sparkling water (Arcachon). » The owner of Bistrot 15 is delighted with the result: “The customers love it. The mojito and gin and tonic still top my list of cocktails, but the red spritz is a close second. We like to highlight it, because they are local products. »
I also use Lillet blanc from Podensac and Abatilles d’Arcachon sparkling water.
Who said that restaurateurs practice Bordeaux bashing? “Not at home,” says Jérémy Lavalade. The owner of Bistrot 15 has integrated almost the entire range of the Valentin Piquereaux house, a wine estate born in Monségurais in 2018 under the leadership of Perrine and Christophe Nègre and Philippe Tarditi. 15 hectares in total, vinification and bottling in a tobacco dryer. Producers are showing imagination to avoid the pitfalls of the crisis and the weather. Their range reflects their image: original.
Traditional method
The 100% Merlot sparkling red wine stands out from the crowd. “During an evening, a friend told me that she did not know any sparkling French red wines like Lambrusco or Chianti,” recalls Perrine Nègre. “We vinified a first batch in 2021 using the traditional (Champenoise) method, with aging for nine months on slats,” explains her husband Christophe. A red crémant in short, rather light in alcohol (12°). Not to be confused with a red “pet’nat” or a carbonated wine. “This is what makes our product original. It should be drunk well chilled. Ideal as an aperitif or dessert with a chocolate or red fruit cake. » Or in a cocktail with Lillet blanc, sparkling water, orange and ice cubes.
Production of Bulles de Valentin is limited for the moment. 1,400 bottles will soon return to Dieulivol. Part of it will reach the quays of Bordeaux. “It requires a lot of cash flow but it’s a good way to diversify. We will soon create a sparkling rosé. I hope that our example will move things forward. In any case, it’s nice to see that Bordeaux restaurateurs are playing the game of local products,” concludes the Entre-deux-Mers winemaker.
Maison Valentin Piquereaux in Dieulivol: www.maisonvalentinpiquereaux.com. Comptoir 15 in Bordeaux: www.instagram.com/comptoir15.restaurant.
