What is cooked wine?

In France, vin cuit belongs to the sweet wine category and is produced in Provence (its Italian cousin is vino cotto, produced in the Marche and Abruzzi regions). Cooked wine should not be confused with other sweet wines, such as Port.

How do we do it?

Vin cuit is obtained by heating sweet wine in its vat. With this method, the must is concentrated before alcoholic fermentation, which is stopped by the effect of heat. The winemaker adds fresh must to the vat to restart fermentation. In addition to this, he can also introduce a few spices.

The process must be handled with great care, as the must must be reduced by 30-50% without caramelizing.

Cooked wines around the world

There are many different cooked wines around the world, and each is vinified in a slightly different way.

In France, it is prepared using the method described above, and is found mainly in Provence.

In Spain, it is known as Malaga, in the vineyards of Andalusia. There, the wine is heated after fermentation, and numerous herbs such as sage, coriander, cinnamon, vanilla and rose are added…

In Switzerland, cooked wine is completely different, and is produced in Romandie (in French-speaking Switzerland). They are made from apple or pear must, and have long been used only on toast to replace jam, or on boiled semolina/potatoes.

Photo : Château de saint Martin – Cru classé de Provence