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www.gourmetnews.com 10 Oli e Aceti • Gourmet News Sonomic Almost Vinegar— Not Like Anything You've Tasted BY LORRIE BAUMANN Sweet and tart, rich and earthy, Sonomic Almost Vinegar is a blend of unfermented grape juice and balsamic vine- gar for rich flavor with less acid than pure vine- gar. Available in two ver- sions, Sonomic Almost Vinegar is 100 percent grape, and you can be certain you've ever tasted anything like it. This unique ingredient is less acidic than vinegar and richer than balsamic. Sonomic Red, made with Cabernet grapes, has the rich, intense fla- vors of deep, dark fruit and the consistency of an aged balsamic. Sonomic Gold, made with Muscat grapes, has a rich golden color and flavors of honey and apricot. "They're almost like a reduction," according to Caryn Reading, who owns the company with her husband, Bill Reading. It doesn't take much Sonomic to dress up a salad or vegetables or to finish grilled meat or fish. "Salad is a great starting place, but that's just the beginning," Read- ing says. "You're only limited by your imagination." The So- nomic Red is particularly good when paired with salmon, pork or lamb or poured over strawberries. Sonomic Gold is particu- larly good when used to finish fish, or blended with Dijon mustard to make a glaze for salmon baked in foil on the grill, she adds. Sonomic is a great cock- tail ingredient, and it turns fruit and ice cream into impressive desserts. Read- ing recommends a bever- age made by combining Sonomic Gold with sparkling water and mint or lime, but says that it's also a good cocktail ingre- dient when mixed with vodka. Paired with cheese, Sonomic makes a delicious hors d'oeuvre," says Read- ing. Sonomic Almost Vine- gar is made by Sonoma Portworks in Petaluma, California, and has been in business there for 21 years. In addition to Sonomic, Sonoma Portworks has a portfolio of unique ports, after-din- ner wines and grappas. Sonomic Almost Vinegar is a product that evolved from those dessert wines, according to Reading. After a significant period of product devel- opment, Sonoma Portworks has been making the Sonomic Almost Vinegars for the past five years. "It's not like anything we'd tasted," she says. "Bill is in charge of production, and he likes the opportunity to be creative. When he decided to make wine, he didn't want to do yet another chardonnay or zinfandel. So he has spe- cialized in ports, and now our almost- vinegars. I am the 'official' taster. I love to cook, talk about food, and think about fla- vor. I enjoy talking to people in our tasting room." "Our slogan is 'You've never tasted any- thing like this,' because when people taste Sonomic Almost Vinegar, that's what they say. Then they say they love it, and then they ask how they can use it. I only need to give them an idea or two, and they're off and running with ways to use Sonomic. That's a conversation I really enjoy hav- ing!" Among her other ideas: grill a pork tenderloin and then glaze it with Sonomic Red, or make a salad dressing of the So- nomic Red plus Meyer Lemon Oil. To amp up the acid, just add a squeeze of lemon. Sonomic Almost Vinegar has a shelf life of a year or more. An 8.45 fluid-ounce (250 ml) bottle has a suggested retail price of $16.00. For more information, visit www .portworks.com. GN Ariston Specialties Debuts My Dressing Center BY LORRIE BAUMANN Ariston Specialties debuted its My Dress- ing Center to the industry at the Summer Fancy Food Show. My Dressing Center, shown in prototype and expected to be available to the market in the coming months, is an automatic dispensing station that allows users to customize their own blends of salad dressings and marinades to suit their own tastes. The machine stocks 18 products, including any of the Ariston Specialties olive oils and balsamic vine- gars. Consumers choose a bottle size – ei- ther 8.5 ounces or 17 ounces – and use a touch screen to custom-blend their mix- tures, which can include four to six items in a blend that's selected by adjusting slid- ers on the screen. "You can do your own. You can say, 'No, I feel creative today. I want to do my own,'" said Tom Doukas, Ariston Spe- cialties' Founder. The dispenser provides entertainment and engage- ment value for consumers together with a gourmet experience. "It is not a dressing created in a lab with flavor enhancers and additives," Doukas said. "This is totally fresh and totally natural. It's totally yours – you cre- ated it." Any mixture will sell for the same price – about $6 to $9 for the 8.5-ounce bottle and about $12 for the 17-ounce bottle. "We want to be inexpensive be- cause our dressings are competing with the larger brands, but these are better because they're all natural, award-winning products at a reasonable price with a fun way to buy them," Doukas said. GN

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