Verjus is green juice extracted from under ripe grapes. It is non-alcoholic with high acidity and a tart apple-like flavor. In the Middle Ages it was widely used as a sauce ingredient, a tenderizer, a condiment and in deglazing. You can use Verjus as you would lemon juice or vinegar in a recipe, but while vinegar may clash with the wine you are serving, Verjus compliments wine.

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See our online copy of Navarro’s Verjus cookbook with suggestions from some of Mendocino’s best chefs.

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Our daughter likes to pour it over crushed ice, adds some sparkling water and calls it "winemaker’s lemonade." Navarro’s Verjus is particularly first-rate since it is made up from 100% Anderson Valley Chardonnay grapes. Verjus should be refrigerated after opening. To best preserve open bottles for longer than a week or two, pour into ice cube trays and freeze. This is an ingredient that should thrill the chef in your house.