Cul Sec 'Rouge en Voiture' Alcohol-Free
What To Expect: Deep ruby and aromatic, this cuvée blends organic Pinot Noir and Dornfelder grapes with hints of hibiscus, rhubarb, and oak. Silky tannins and earthy fruit recall a light natural red, elegant yet grounded.
Ingredients: Pinot Noir, Kékfrancos (Nemesgulács, HU) and Dornfelder (Kitzingen, DE) grape juice, water infusion (water, oak, grape skins, blackcurrant leaf, hibiscus, pine, birch leaf, rhubarb root, bay leaf, lavender), water, chokeberry juice, redcurrant juice, apple cider vinegar, lacto-fermented blackcurrants, blackberries, beets and peaches, kombucha, alcohol tincture (water, alcohol, spruce buds, kelp, truffle), acidulant: succinic acid.
A combination of Hungarian Pinot Noir, Kekfrancos and German Dornfelder with a handful of berries form the basis for Rouge en VoitureThe chokeberry, a dry berry rich in tannins, provides flavor and color but is low in sugar. Blackcurrant provides aroma, and currant contributes oxalic acid. Oak plays a key role, with seasoned oak, oak barrels, and oak leaves. This fills your glass with tannins, just like in a true fût de chêne. A warm infusion of birch leaf adds warm, spicy notes, while bay leaf and a light hint of lavender tickle your nose. The palette of lacto-fermented notes is diverse: beetroot, blackberry, and currant are obscured by dominant acidity, but are found in mineral and earthy notes. A reduction of lacto-fermented beetroot creates simmering volcanoes. Rouge en Voiture, a boire cul sec!
Cul Sec — non-alcoholic cuvées built from organic grapes and wild botanicals. Complex, layered, and food-driven — a true wine experience without the alcohol. “In a world of disappointing non-alcoholic alternatives, Dutch producer Cul Sec stands as a revelation. This sophisticated alcohol-free wine demonstrates that complexity doesn’t require alcohol” - https://vinovonk.com. Cul Sec is the non-alcoholic alternative to wine, a maceration of wild herbs, wine grapes and fermentations. This bottle is full of old traditions combined with new techniques. Cuvée 2025 is a balance of ripe oxidized and unripe wine grapes full of fresh acidity and tannin. The makers searched all year in our landscape for wild flavor notes from the landscape; the mineral notes of the oyster shell, as chalky "terroir," different woods for tight tannins and, for example, oxidative notes of lacto-fermented fruits. With this palette of flavor, we are building 'Domaine Cul Sec,' an estate full of wildness and regeneration. Santé! For those seeking flavor and texture without alcohol.