Years ago, I used to go to a restaurant in Sarlat and my favourite dish was Poulet au Verjus. The chicken was lemony, garlicky, grapey…delicious! Unfortunately, I’ve never since it on any menu, anywhere, ever since. So, when I learned that a local vineyard was producing Verjus, I was off like a shot to ask them all about it.
Situated in the Périgord Pourpre, between the bastide towns of Eymet and Issigeac, the Domaine du Siorac has been making wine for over 200 years.
100% natural
Verjus (vert jus = green juice) is grape juice made from green grapes picked manually from the vines before they have reached maturity. Verjus is made from a variety of grape types, a diversity that gives it it’s distinct flavour. The juice is filtered, kept at low temperatures and pasteurised as it goes into the bottle, jar or bag-in-box. It is a 100% natural product.
Verjus is a handy little condiment to have as it is so versatile. It can be used to deglaze in cooking (poultry, meat and fish). It is also used in marinades, sauces and vinaigrettes, being softer than vinegar but more fruity and less acidic than lemons. Furthermore, it can be added to a sorbet or fruit salad and is widely used in cocktails.
Domaine du Siorac is the first large volume producer of Verjus in France and the first volume producer of organic Verjus in the world (organic since 2020). It is available with or without grapes, in jars, bottles or bag-in-box direct from the vineyard. It can keep up to four years.
A traditional condiment
When I met the current manager of Domaine du Siorac, Muriel, who is third generation of the Landat family, she told me how her grandmother always used the acidity of the unripened grapes in her cooking when she was deglazing the pan. In her time, using Verjus in this way was normal, especially in the countryside. However, over the years, with the importation of lemons (even though more expensive) it is a tradition that has gradually been forgotten.
It was a meeting between Muriel’s father, Jean-Paul Landat, and Bernard Lafon in the 1980s, that eventually led to the rebirth of Verjus du Périgord. Sharing a passion for traditional and local cooking methods, the two men worked tirelessly together to produce this little darling of a condiment. Today, Verjus is thriving and back on the menu, thank goodness!
If you would like to read more about the Dordogne, take a look at my book, My Dordogne Life. Available on Amazon. There is a recipe for Poulet au Verjus in this book.
Janice Croizet Author 
Leave a comment