Grape juice, but from important vines. Alain Milliat the "visionary" as he defines himself on his website, for over 20 years established in Italy and in the world for the production of high-end fruit juices and nectars, launches the idea of varietal grape juices, innovative soft drinks, as an alternative to other drinks: at the table, for an aperitif or after dinner, 100% grape juice, no added sugar, no sulfites, no fermentation.
The idea started from the observation that alcohol consumption is changing while consumers' curiosity is growing. Some consumers choose not to drink alcohol, or cannot drink it, and at the table, at the bar or at receptions Milliat comes to their aid with its grape juices.
Not just any grapes but juices from French and Spanish wine grapes, Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Cabernet in Rosè, Merlot, Syrah destined for the production of quality wines. “Grapes are naturally very sweet. With an early harvest - says Milliat - we obtain an elegant balance of acids and sugars which gives the characteristic freshness. We work the grapes simply using a wine press in order to extract all its organoleptic characteristics from each grape. If they fermented, our juices would become wines”.
Juices and nectars are distributed only for direct sale in places where the search for taste is the foundation of consumption and sales: bars, pastry shops, luxury hotels, large restaurants and food boutiques.
Grandson and son of farmers, Alain Milliat opened a farm in 1983 in Orliénas, between Lyon and Vienne, on the Lyon slopes. For 15 years he has concentrated on the orchards, which he takes care of as if they were a Zen garden. A visionary: from his fruits, grown according to organic precautions, he begins to create tasty juices and nectars, which end up in the best pastry shops and bars in France.
Milliat realized that the characteristics of a variety, the production area, the rainfall, the cutting of the tree, the level of ripeness and the balance between sugar and acidity would strongly influence the flavor profile of the final juice. This starting point has been transformed into his philosophy, which has led him to faithfully design every single characteristic of the fruit: aroma, texture and flavour.
Since 1997, the first six flavors have seen the light: Bergeron apricot, vine peach, Passacrassana autumn pear, apple and quince, Williams summer pear, Canadian Gray Rennet apple. Immediately the consecration: he sends his juices to 60 sommeliers of the main Relais & Châteaux in France and almost totally enters all the restaurant menus.
Always fascinated by pure design, the agronomist entrepreneur invented an elegant glass bottle. The generous 33 cl format soon became iconic and began to grace the best tables in France and abroad.
In 1998 he entered two temples of the foodstore: from Grand Epicerie du Bon Marché and from Lafayette Gourmet, from here orders arrive from all over the world. “I was immediately lucky enough to have been noticed by a buyer of a chain store in the United States, William Sonoma which has 200 stores” says Alain Milliat.
Today Alain Milliat's production is no longer limited to the fruits of his farm. The processing of the fruit takes place in Valence in the Drome region, purchased from small local farmers (70% of French fruit is found within a radius of less than 100 km). The other fruits come from Normandy, Agen or Gaillac because according to Alain's studies, only these regions combine the good soil and climatic conditions for the Cox's apple or even a particular variety of red tomato or for Sauvignon, Cabernet and Merlot grapes.
“For citrus fruits and exotic fruits, coherence and reasoning are needed: they are not transported fresh by air as the environmental impact would be unacceptable. The juices and pulps are then extracted and frozen following precise recommendations of variety and maturity on production sites such as Panama and Indonesia for pineapple, Madagascar for lychee or even Sicily for orange and mandarin Tardivo di Ciaculli” says Alain Milliat.
Read the previous in-depth analysis of First&Food: Not just wine, a boost of energy from squeezed grapes.
