Picture the hills of Piemonte, covered in vineyards at the beginning of fall. Imagine the sweet, potent aroma of the ripe grapes bursting from the vines. That’s the memory that Marco Colzani, our beloved fruit sommelier + master chocolatier, sought to bottle. Spoiler: he succeeded.
For his Concord Grape Nectar, Marco picked the precious Isabella Fragola variety, pleasantly sugary yet crisp. Isabella concord grapes are picked early, in September. Then, Marco presses them within 24 hours of the harvest. No cutting corners about fruit freshness, and no preservatives nor added sugar.
This fruit nectar is the closest thing to drinking freshly squeezed concord grapes right from the vine in Piemonte.
Marco has a trick from the wine world for his Isabella Concord Grape Nectar. Once pressed, the grapes macerate with their skins for one night, extracting that vivid purple hue and velvety texture. This pro move amplifies the aromatic intensity of this nectar and adds the final tartness that keeps it from being overwhelmingly sweet.
If you close your eyes, the Piemonte vineyards don’t feel that far, after all!