I haven’t tasted this stuff so I can’t pass judgment, but I am truly interested if there is a market for it. Are people so Pinot crazed that they will want to integrate our beloved grape into the soda pop portion of their diets?
The company that markets the product, Vignette, is located in Berkeley and they claim the Pinot Soda is made with around 50% real juice (no word on what the other 50% is), has no added sugar or corn syrup, is caffeine free, and is “gently pasteurized”.
I’m not quite sure what “gently pasteurized” means myself. If you aren’t holding a juice at 161 degrees F for ~6 seconds, you can’t be sure that you’re really killing all the bacteria present, which is the whole point of pasteurization. And holding anything at high temperatures isn’t something I would think really qualifies as gentle. But hey, who are we in the wine industry to start casting stones when it comes to marketing anyway?
If you’ve tried this stuff, please leave a comment and tell me how you liked it. You can buy a case of 12 here for $30 plus shipping. Or you could spend that on a nice bottle of Russian River Pinot and enjoy the mind-bending benefits actual fermentation has on grape juice. Yum.
I tasted it, but it was at the SF Chronicle event last week, so my judgment may be clouded. (Though I spat all day, I swear.) I liked it well enough, but you’re right. Money better spent on a bottle of full force. And I preferred the white to red, anyway.
It does seem like a waste of perfectly good vinifera juice. On the other hand, The Grapes of Roth was pouring their grape based vodka at the SF tasting, and they were preparing a cocktail with lime and fresh grape juice that was devastatingly delicious. In fact, that cocktail may replace the margarita at Twisted Oak as the crush drink of choice…
(I can attest to Farley’s good behavior in SF by the way. Sara, on the other hand…)
Wow. But do they market it as a source of resveratrol?!?!?
Farley - Thanks for the note. I guess I’ll ahve to try one then. Someone else mentioned that it tasted Ok to them as well.
El Jefe - Interesting. So you prevent alcoholic fermentation, bottle it then mix it with alcohol. Genius!
Dr. - I don’t see why they shouldn’t try! I think the regs are a bit more lax for non-alcoholic beverages. I could be wrong though…
I’ve tasted it and thought it was delicious. A nice non-alcoholic aperitif or thirst-quencher. Somewhat pricey, yes, but better than most soda or juice alternatives.