The Traditional Troussepinète
With wild blackthorns
Perhaps the oldest wine based aperitif of France!
"L'Epine" (the thorn) or the Troussepinète comes from a subtle maceration of the shoots of the blackthorns in wine and in Cognac, the prestigious French spirit.
Thanks to his master liquor maker Gérard Paignon, LISE BACCARA pays the greatest attention to the selection of the young shoots of the wild blackthorns and to the different steps of maceration. Ensuring an authentic and fully natural product, the result provides an inimitable taste ...
Origin
Blackthorn wine fabrication whose origin was traced probably around the XIX th century, is still a mystery nowadays. It started to be famous among insiders thanks to its name of Troussepinète in the 50's. The blackthorn or wild sloe is a rare thorny bush, usually about three or four meters high, so thick that it is hard to handle and impossible to cross.
Picking
It grows wild and randomly anywhere in France in specific zones such as borders of pastures or edges of forests that only connoisseurs know.
The young shoots are manually collected.
Gathering requires between seven and ten additional workers to collect around 3 tons each year. Knowing that one branch only weighs few grams, it then represents an intense and meticulous task for M. Paignon's teams.
Recipe
The shoots are then macerated in Lise Baccara's fine Cognac and in a second phase in wine during a total period of three months according to an artisanal process, a secret only held by the master liquor maker himself...
Three months for three crucial and complex steps of maceration and blending to allow the delicate extraction of subtle aromas of thorns, and give the unique taste of the traditional Troussepinète made by Lise Baccara.
Lise Baccara’s Troussepinète in a variety of flavours
Tasting suggestions
Visual aspect : burgundy coloured
Nose: pleasant , fruity, notes of fruits and fortified wine
Palate : pleasant, sweet, plum and red fruits aromas.
Should be served cold, perfect for the aperitif and a very good alternative to the dessert wines, especially dark chocolate desserts.
Could be also used with Tonics like it is actually the case in the USA.
Our awards
Lise Baccara's Troussepinète won the Chairman's Trophy in 2012, the highest honour at the ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE in New York (USA) among more than 600 spirits, with the following tasting comment :
« Exemplary quality, deep and long on the palate, succulent ! ».
