broccoli wine

Many will have recoiled in the face of a heap of soggy, overcooked broccoli when it showed up on their plate in the school or workplace cafeteria. But now, you might consider rethinking your relationship with the green stuff thanks to a new wine that has broccoli as an ingredient.

This is one new concoction that does little to challenge stereotypes surrounding the eccentricities of British cuisine… Nevertheless, there’s no shortage of inspiration in the creation of this new, shall we say, “special” kind of wine. Located in Devon, a county in the southwest of England, the Lyme Bay Winery has partnered with a brand that has made broccoli its signature product. The goal of the project was to infuse the herbaceous flavors of the famous vegetable into a wine. Specifically, the process involved plunging broccoli into a Chardonnay wine from the vineyard’s 2019 harvest.

Logically, the wine is tinged with a delicate green shade, giving it a Shrek-like tone (although, rest assured, it’s nowhere near as bright). Tenderstem, the brand that supplied the broccoli, makes no secret of its ambition to help consumers gain a new appreciation of its star vegetable. The wine was officially launched during a national event dedicated to celebrating England’s wines and vineyards. The festivities have now come to an end, and a wider release is planned for this summer.

This is not the first time a vegetable with a bad reputation has been used in the making of an alcoholic drink. In 2019, a Scottish distillery based in Edinburgh infused its Pickering’s Gin with Brussels sprouts!

(Related: Orange is Australia’s underrated wine and food haven)

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