Presenting...G'Vine Gin

Last night, at The Juniper Society, French company G’Vine pitched their gin to two groups of ginthusiasts.

As we all know, France and Italy fight over the claim to have created gin though G’Vine make a good point in saying that Tuscany is a well known juniper source so it is very likely they were making it there, even if not the first to work out that grape based spirit + juniper = yum.

G’Vine are now based in Cognac, France, and use a base spirit made from the quite bland and acidic Ugni Blanc grape. Their gin is distilled in a Florentine still, often used in the perfume trade, and botanicals are infused in four batches for the juniper flavour, high notes, low notes and their unique selling point – since the rest of the botanicals are pretty normal - an infusion of the vine flowers. This has also inspired the name of their two gins:

#1 Floraison (40%)

Named after veraison, a key moment in the lifecycle of a vine when the leaves turn green to red before harvest.

Nose: lime, lots of lime and some floral notes

Palate: more lime, cardamom, very easy drinking with a hint of spice at the end

Mix: these flavours are gentle so simplicity is the key

 

#2 Nouaison (43.9%)

A higher ABV brings out different notes in the gin

Nose: more ginger and more juniper

Palate: More texture, almost creamy. More spice. More weight. Green spicy finish

So to conclude, not the most exciting gin. Described by the G’Vine team as a gin for gin drinkers and non gin drinkers. I beg to differ. Perhaps this is a good one for beginners but I feel other gins have more to contribute than this particular offering. Maybe its just my palate…