Premium Gin brand G'Vine is set to impact perceptions of the famous spirit in a big way. Having recently launched in Australia, G'Vine is now available in quality restaurants and bars across the nation. The French gin is heavily focused on expanding the depth of Gin and uncovering the drink's diversity, which is often overlooked. Speaking with Andy Gaunt from the G'Vine team, we are given an in-depth explanation to this incredible Gin, as well as a very eye-opening education on all things Gin.
Brace yourselves, you're in for on very in-depth education on one of the world's favourite alcoholic beverages:
How is G'Vine made and what goes into it that makes it so unique?
G’Vine Gin de France is unique and unconventional in the world of modern day gin. It’s roots are in the essence of French culture, world-renown for creating and enjoying the great pleasures in life: art de vivre, luxury, fashion, perfumes, wines & gastronomy.
Through its French origin - more precisely from the Cognac region, birthplace of centuries-old wine making and distillation practices – we blend the tradition and know-how of the region with an innovative approach, putting the grape and all its benefits at the heart of the gin.
Our canvas is the soft and silky grape spirit base, using the Ugni-blanc grape which produces a great wine perfect for distilling. Importantly, our unique use of the delicate and ephemeral vine flower as a key botanical, makes sure that G'Vine Gin has a fresh, elegant and unique flavor that has overthrown many of Gin’s traditional codes, and embodies the attitude and personality of France.
What steps in the Gin making process would you say are most important in making G'Vine what it is?
Without a doubt it is our approach to building a unique and high-quality base spirit using fine French grape spirit that is our first step and critical step. Just like a painter needing a quality canvas on which to lay on different colours, gin requires a great base canvas on which to lay on different flavours.
Although unique and innovative in today’s gin landscape, grape spirit was initially used in the 15th century for its digestive and medicinal properties. Over time, due to its cost and more intricate production, the industry moved to grain spirit base as it was cheaper and easier to work with. Jean-Sébastien Robicquet, œnologist and pioneering master distiller, founder of EWG Spirits & Wine, has now revisited the original vision of gin, using grape spirit, and created G’Vine.
The next step in our gin was to capture the fresh, floral and elegant aroma of the vine flower. This flower blossoms in the month of June in Cognac on the grape vines across the region, before the fruit appears. We hand pick these delicate flowers, macerate them in grape spirit before slowly distilling them in a Florentine still to capture their aromatic essence – just as a perfume maker would do.
We also distil separate batches of nine other botanicals, including of course juniper berries, to give a rich complexity to the fresh, floral notes of the gin, before finally bottling the gin.
What would the range of G'Vine Gins available in Australia look like?
We bottle the gin in two expressions, both of which are available in Australia.
G’Vine Floraison captures the essence of the ephemeral, exhilarating fragrance of the vineyard when the vine flower blooms to life, and the warmth of the arrival of summer. Its surprising and refreshing taste is adored by neophytes and Gin connoisseurs alike, and makes the most perfect refreshing Gin & Tonic!
G’Vine Nouaison captures the emotion around the birth of the grape berry and embodies the unique and concentration of energy, intensity and spiciness of this important and special phase. It is a fresh and elegant alternative to the traditional Dry Gin for more classic cocktails, bottled at 43.9% abv
Where can Australians find G'Vine?
G’Vine will be found in the finest bars, restaurants and stores, such as Rockpool Bar and Grill, The Winery, Gazebo in Sydney, Bistro Vue, 1806 and Gin Palace in Melbourne to name a few. We are also available in specialist off-trade stores across the country.
It seems pairing more complex Gin with certain foods is a popular choice. What kind of foods would you say G'Vine (or Gin in general) pair with the best and why?
It is true that spirits are a great match for foods, although most of us default to wine as this is how we have grown up culturally. The complexity of gin, bringing together natures aromatics and botanicals, makes for great food matches, especially when simple fresh drinks and cocktails are crafted from the gin. I don't believe there are any hard and fast rules, it is about having fun and experimenting, but I would say that G’Vine’s fresh and floral signature is a wonderful pairing for appetizers, pates, and perhaps even fish or meat dishes that have a citrus or fresh herb component.
Having said that, the phenomenal growth of the Gin and Tonic in Spain is thanks to the drinks refreshment factor, and is most often drunk as a digestif – waking up the palate and mind after dinner and preparing for a night out!
There seems to be a renewed interest in Gin around the world at the moment. Why do you think that is?
I think that gin, and the drinks associated with it such as the gin and tonic, is perfect for today’s environment. We are all looking today for products (whether food or drink) with real flavours, and produce has a true sense of provenance. The wide variety of gins today offer a range of flavours that are much more diverse than the traditional dry and bitter juniper led gins that many of us grew up with. After all, gin is natures botanicals bottled up!
As cocktail culture has seen a renaissance, classic drinks such as the Martini have been re-born with their original flavoursome base, gin, as opposed to the more neutral and flavourless vodkas that dominated the 1990’s and 2000’s. In addition, the aperitif moment is back in style with great drinks such as the negroni becoming a great platform for today’s gins to shine.
Are there any other spirits/drinks that G'Vine approximates more so than other types of Gin?
Thanks to its fresh, floral and easy drinking complexity, I believe that G’Vine makes a wonderful gin and tonic. The Spanish style of G&T, where different gins are matched with specific tonics and relevant garnish has done a lot to put this drink back on the map. G’Vine is one of the leading premium gins in Spain, which is in fact the 2nd largest consumer of premium gin worldwide after the USA, and the success of the brand is down to its unique fresh and floral gin and tonic thanks to the grape base.
What can G'Vine offer a standard Gin & Tonic that other Gins may not be able to?
A great gin and tonic is a perfect palate cleanser and refresher. After a hard day at work escaping from the day to day with a fresh gin and tonic is perfect. You want some acidity to get the taste buds tingling, some bitterness for the stomach and to balance the acidity and of course a great fresh but full flavor. This is equally important after a long dinner before moving on to a late nioght party or bar! Using grapes and the vine flower, balanced with more traditional botanicals gives us a perfect balance, and when Floraison is served in a large wine glass style (or copa glass as the Spanish say), with loads of ice and grapes for garnish, all the fruity and fresh aromas shine through in a way that is unique to G’Vine.
What other mixes would G'Vine pair with the best?
Thanks to its easy drinking style, lower on the dry and bitter flavours that other gins have, G’Vine Floraison is very adaptable with a range of mixers. Part of the fun is trying out different types of flavoured sparkling waters or sodas. In addition, cocktails using fresh ingredients work very well. The richer more full bodied Nouaison works especially well with heavier mixers and in traditional gin cocktails such as a negroni, where the marriage with a quality vermouth is perfect.
What in your opinion are the best bars for Gin lovers around Australia (mainly Melbourne and Sydney)? What makes these bars stand out?
The great think about living in Australia is the wide range of world class bars across the country. I spend a lot of time overseas, and I’d always say that this country is at the top of the world game. We also have many world competition winning bartenders playing their trade here, which means there is never an issue with choice! I always enjoy a cocktail form Mischa at Rockpool Bar and Grill, The Rook in Sydney has a great range of gins and a relaxed unstuffy vibe, and of course Melbourne has a whole range of bars with wonderful gin offers. Gin Palace has for many years led the way in promoting the versatility of gin and continues to do so, but now bars like Cloud 9 in Geelong are also spreading the love for gin for those that don't live in or close to the CBDs of Sydney and Melbourne.
How do you feel G'Vine has grown since it was first launched and how are you finding it's progress?
We are still very new in Australia, but it has been great to see the liquid and craftsmanship being appreciated by the discerning bartending community. We first launched in 2006 in Europe, and to see the brand now one of the top 3 premium gins in one of the world’s largest gin drinking countries gives us confidence that we have a great product! It is early days for us in Australia, and as we expand the most important thing for us is to have people across the country enjoying the taste of G’Vine. We have an appreciation for grapes and wine and fine things in life here, and G’Vine Gin is a perfect match to this attitude.
What are some plans for G'Vine for the rest of 2014?
Continue to work closely with our friends in the bar industry to showcase the versatility that the gin category can offer. The gin and tonic is the drink of 2014 in my opinion globally, and with our fresh and traditionally unconventional approach we’ll be supporting the promotion of their drink, looking to serve fresh French G’Vine Gin and Tonics at the most stylish, elegant occasions.