A pretty sweet vinegar experience in France

The problem was too much of a good thing.

The Cognac region in western France has more white grapes under cultivation than any other appellation in France. One year, a bumper crop came in with a yield much higher than all the local Cognac distilleries could handle.

As a result, the excess grapes were simply going to rot on the vines.

A veterinarian in the town of Bouteville, in the heart of the Grande Champagne Cognac terroir, began to think about what else could be done with the grapes, and he had an epiphany.

He knew that a bottle of wine, opened but not fully consumed, will soon turn to vinegar. One of his daughters had married a man from Modena, Italy, the center of balsamic vinegar production. Father and son-in-law teamed up and decided to see if they could put the grapes to good use. They took as many from his neighbors as they thought they could process, acquired some used oak barrels and began production. Le Baume de Bouteville was born.

Today, the descendant enterprise of these experiments, La Compagnie de Bouteville, produces and supplies eight artisanal vinegars to gourmet restaurants and shops around the world.

And, if you’re in the neighborhood, you can stop by not only to learn how vinegar is made but, for about $27, sample the products along with (and on) oysters, a charcuterie platter and fresh baguettes, accompanied by local wine.

(To ensure there are enough oysters, advance reservations are a must.)

There are three vinegars in the company’s “gastronomique” collection: L’Original, Le Fume and Le Vegetal. I preferred L’Original with the oysters — it had an almost lemony undertone — but overall, my favorite was Le Fume, which, as its name suggests, has a distinctive smoky character (it’s recommended on salmon, octopus or asparagus risotto); Le Vegetal goes well with salads (avocado, especially); L’Original, with raw fish, shrimp, sauteed mushrooms or in gazpacho.

Among vinegars sold, the son-in-law’s legacy lives on in three balsamics: Vielle Reserve Original No. 3, Vielle Reserve No. 6 (goes well with foie gras and apples or strawberries) and Vielle Reserve Exclusive No. 10 (excellent on pears). The numbers reference how long they are aged. While their tastes are reminiscent of Italian balsamic, they are not as sweet.

There are also two vinegars identified as “aromatises”: Le Miel (sweetened with honey) and La Pomme (with apple).

The company recently obtained an American distributor, should your curiosity be piqued but you have no plans for a visit to France: www.boutevilleusa.com. 

The food pairings above are hardly the limit of these vinegars’ range — the woman schooling me on vinegar suggested I experiment with them in cocktails.

I have. My only warning is: Don’t ruin a good cognac with vinegar.