It was an aperitif I hadn’t expected. Not kombucha, not an alcohol-free gin and tonic, not grape juice with added bitterness. It was verjus: fresh, vibrant and defined by its acidity. I tried it at a wine festival at the stand of Biohof Kobatl, an organic farm in Styria’s Vulkanland region. The winery works with fungus-resistant grape varieties, known as PIWI grapes, and produces wines with an emphasis on minerality and terroir.
What surprised me wasn’t the quality. It was the honesty of the product. No attempt to imitate wine. No apology for being alcohol-free. Just a drink that is exactly what it claims to be: juice made from unripe grapes, offering acidity, minerality and vitality. And it comes from an organic producer accustomed to refusing compromises.
That was the moment I understood why verjus is currently one of the most interesting categories in the alcohol-free drinks market.
What Exactly Is Verjus?
Verjus is nothing new. In fact, it’s one of the oldest drinks and culinary ingredients around. During the Middle Ages, it was widely used in European cooking as an acidic ingredient, replacing vinegar or lemon before citrus fruits became widely available in northern Europe.
Then it almost disappeared from public awareness. Chefs knew about it, as did sommeliers. But as a drinks category in its own right, verjus remained largely invisible in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for years.
In 2026, that’s changing.
Established wineries in Germany and Austria have rediscovered verjus, not as an ingredient for cooking, but as an aperitif.
That distinction matters. An aperitif stands on its own. It doesn’t need a dish, a food-pairing argument or an explanation to justify its existence. It has to convince in the glass.
Who Makes It, and How?
While wineries are discovering verjus as a by-product of grape growing, Bernd Menzl has considered it his main product from the beginning.
Since 2016, he has been developing Raureif, a brand that doesn’t simply explain verjus, but serves it as an independent aperitif rather than an accompaniment to the story of wine.
Menzl comes from fine dining, where verjus had long been used as a regional alternative to lemon. What bothered him was that nobody was making a drink from it.
So he developed his own, combining verjus with old, locally grown fruit varieties. Rowanberries, quince and Cornelian cherries. Fruits that add complexity and fruit character without making the drink overly sweet.
The still versions contain approximately 6 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres, while the sparkling varieties contain less than 4.5 grams.
For comparison, Menzl recently tried a competitor’s product containing 11 grams.
“The difference isn’t a marketing argument. You can taste it in the glass.”
How did the hospitality industry respond in 2016?
The reactions were mixed. Many liked the idea but hesitated. Top chefs turned him down, arguing that their guests weren’t ready yet.
There was some ridicule, too.
“I’d rather not go into that today,” Menzl says. “Because by now, it’s becoming clear that we were simply a few years ahead of our time. Today, we can see just how relevant the alcohol-free category has become.”
These days, hardly any hospitality professional claims there’s no demand for premium alcohol-free products.
The category has arrived.
And Menzl believes it will consolidate over the coming years. Those jumping on the bandwagon will discover that hype can generate short-term attention, but other things matter in the long run. Quality, positioning and a credible story.
“That’s precisely where the opportunity lies for brands that have believed in this for a long time,” he says.
Raureif has believed in it for ten years.
That’s the difference.
Why Winemakers Hesitate
Even so, verjus is far from established everywhere. At many wineries, it’s still tucked away on a back shelf, if it’s available at all.
The reasons are understandable.
First, producing verjus requires deliberate decisions. Unripe grapes are harvested in summer, often as a by-product of thinning the vines. What sounds like a natural use of surplus grapes actually requires careful planning. Which vineyard plots? At what stage of ripeness? How will the grapes be pressed, and how will the juice be preserved?
Second, consumers aren’t yet familiar with the category.
Verjus isn’t something most people spontaneously think of ordering. Someone reading “Verjus Fizz” on a wine list might hesitate. Once they’ve tasted it, the appeal becomes clear.
Third, there’s the way many wineries see themselves.
Wine is the product. Everything else is secondary.
That attitude is beginning to change, but slowly.
What This Means for Hospitality
For restaurants and bars, verjus offers several practical advantages.
It can be produced regionally and has a clear connection to its origin. Its production is tied to the grape harvest, which naturally limits availability and makes it something special.
As an alcohol-free aperitif, it fills a gap that kombucha and alcohol-free sparkling wine don’t quite address. It appeals to the same guest who might enjoy a good white wine, without trying to replace it.
It also works particularly well in the context of Zebra Striping, the practice of alternating between alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks.
A glass of Verjus Fizz as an aperitif, followed by wine with dinner. The evening starts lightly, while the quality of the drinking experience remains consistent.
The hospitality industry is already moving in this direction.
Falstaff PROFI describes Low & No and alcohol-free aperitif concepts in 2026 as part of a changing drinks culture, bringing together more conscious consumption, lighter drinks and new revenue opportunities for hospitality businesses.
Verjus is still a small segment within that development.
But that’s exactly what makes it interesting.
The market isn’t saturated. Businesses that take verjus seriously now have an opportunity to help shape the category from the beginning.
The Real Point
Taking verjus seriously can deepen your understanding of wine.
That might sound paradoxical, but it isn’t.
Verjus is made from unripe grapes, capturing the moment before sugar begins to overshadow acidity. Before ripeness develops. Before grape must becomes wine.
It represents a stage in the grape’s development before winemaking begins to shape it.
When you drink verjus, you can smell and taste the potential of a grape before vinification transforms it.
Sommeliers who include verjus in their drinks pairings aren’t doing so because they’ve run out of alternatives.
They’re doing it because verjus tells the story of a vintage before the wine itself is ready.
“It’s not a compromise. It’s a statement in its own right.”
