Carthagène du Languedoc
A sweet, amber mistelle from Languedoc, made from fresh grape juice arrested by eau-de-vie. Served chilled, in tiny glasses, to toast before or after the meal.
A sweet, amber mistelle from Languedoc, made from fresh grape juice arrested by eau-de-vie. Served chilled, in tiny glasses, to toast before or after the meal.
At home, in the Hérault, you don't let a friend leave without offering them a finger of carthagène. It's the grape must caught just before it ferments, married to eau-de-vie to keep it sweet and warm like an evening of the harvest. Every house has its bottle at the back of the cupboard, aged at least a year. You fill a small glass, no more, and you toast: to life, to friendship, to images.
- •Fresh grape must (unfermented juice) — two parts (sweet base)
- •Marc eau-de-vie — one part (fortification)
Carthagène du Languedoc
A sweet, amber mistelle from Languedoc, made from fresh grape juice arrested by eau-de-vie. Served chilled, in tiny glasses, to toast before or after the meal.
Why this dish? A typical peasant apéritif from the Hérault, the region around Sète where Agnès Varda grew up. She, who loved to entertain and placed symbolic importance on shared meals, would have served this homemade fortified wine to her friends to open the table.
At home, in the Hérault, you don't let a friend leave without offering them a finger of carthagène. It's the grape must caught just before it ferments, married to eau-de-vie to keep it sweet and warm like an evening of the harvest. Every house has its bottle at the back of the cupboard, aged at least a year. You fill a small glass, no more, and you toast: to life, to friendship, to images.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh grape must (unfermented juice) — two parts (sweet base)
- Marc eau-de-vie — one part (fortification)
Ingredients
- Fresh grape juice (or pure commercial juice) — 2 liters (sweet base)
- Eau-de-vie or marc (40%+ ABV) — 1 liter (fortification)
- Cinnamon stick (optional) — 1 (flavor)
- Orange zest (optional) — 1 (flavor)
Method
- Mix two volumes of fresh grape juice with one volume of eau-de-vie in a large clean demijohn.
- Add, if desired, a cinnamon stick and an orange zest.
- Seal and let macerate away from light for at least 1 month (ideally 1 year), shaking occasionally.
- Filter, bottle, and store in a cool place.
- Serve very cold in tiny glasses, as an apéritif or with dessert.
How it was made : Carthagène (or cartagène) is a traditional mistelle from Languedoc made on wine farms for centuries: the must is 'muted' by adding alcohol to stop fermentation and preserve the grape's sugar. A quintessential sharing drink, passed down from generation to generation.
The contemporary twist : Serve on ice with a zest, contemporary vermouth style, for a 'Nouvelle Vague' apéro at sunset.
Sources : Confréries vigneronnes du Languedoc · Inventaire du patrimoine culinaire de la France — Languedoc-Roussillon
Agnès Varda · Charactorium
