On Milk Street Radio, I am often asked for a good substitute for wine in cooking. Verjus is a decent alternative since it is the pressed juice of unripened grapes. (It comes from the French, “vert jus,” which means green juice.) Neither fermented nor alcoholic, it provides a light acidity that won't interfere with the flavor of the wine you're serving with your meal, which vinegars can sometimes do—verjus can also be used in place of wine vinegar in recipes. Our kitchen especially likes this version made on a family farm in Oregon’s pinot noir region for its bright flavor with hints of grape, apple and berry. Use Noble Handcrafted Verjus with lighter meats such as chicken or fish; I also use it to deglaze the pan with verjus after sautéing pork.

The secret to this Noble finishing vinegar is age - the extended maturing period results in an all-natural reduction of water allowing the flavors of sherry, bourbon, maple, oak, vanilla and caramel to come forward. Our tasters noticed a pleasantly strong note of toasted oak with a good undercurrent of vanilla and caramel; the bite of the vinegar was nicely balanced by a sweet maple flavor. The ingredients include Spanish sherry vinegar, medium amber maple syrup, bourbon and charred American oak.