The tradition of Vin Cuit de Provence ...

Le Vin Cuit from Chateau Grand Boise

Vin Cuit (literally “cooked wine”) is a Provencal tradition whose origins are found in the area around Aix-en-Provence and Mount Sainte-Victoire.

It is a complete abuse of language to describe in this way some branded aperitifs, or wines fortified with spirits of the type known in French as “Vins Doux Naturels” (Rivesaltes, Maury, Banyuls)...

Real Vin Cuit is made using a unique method. As the name implies, heat must be used...

The traditional method of making Vin Cuit:

After having pressed the grapes, the must is cooked in a large cauldron over open flames. The goal is to evaporate it evenly and hence to concentrate it, but without ever allowing it to boil. During this “cooking”, scum rises to the surface and this has to be constantly removed, as it would otherwise give some bitterness to the finished wine.

When half of the juice has been evaporated, it is allowed to cool. The juice is then put into vats for a slow and very lengthy fermentation. This fermentation stops by itself (in contradistinction to wines called “mutés” in French, where alcohol is added to stop the fermentation). The result is a wine with around 15% of alcohol and 90 g/L of residual sugar. This is then put into barrels to be aged for several months.

Le Vin Cuit from Chateau Grand Boise

Vin Cuit - A Provencal tradition:

In Provence, Christmas has always been a major festival, prepared well in advance. It was the habit to lay a table with three white tablecloths, one on top of the other, while thirteen desserts were offered to those present, who had to eat a little of each of them. The three white tablecloths symbolised the Trinity and the thirteen desserts, Christ and his 12 apostles. The Vin Cuit always accompanied these thirteen desserts. It was also used as a fortifying drink on returning chilled from midnight mass and they even threw a few ounces into the fireplace to wake the fire up a bit!

Vin Cuit today:

Sixteen Provencal producers, mostly situated between Aix-en-Provence and Trets, have grouped together to preserve the traditional method of making Vin Cuit by heating over an open flame (thus excluding any kind of electrical heating). Chateau Grand Boise uses a huge copper cauldron heated with wood from their own forests. Copper is a perfect material for even heating. Unremitting attention is essential to keep the fire burning at the right rate throughout the long cooking period.
> Look at the data sheet of Vin Cuit from Grand Boise

The uses of Vin Cuit:

Vin Cuit is a sweet but light wine. It can be drunk at 10-12°C (50 to 54°F) as an aperitif, or with desserts, especially tarts, and desserts based on red fruit or chocolate. It is also excellent with melons, foie gras and cheeses most notably blue cheeses such as Roquefort. Chefs also like to use Vin Cuit to deglaze pans in meat cooking.