Vin de noix, also known as French walnut wine, or green walnut wine, is arguably the most well-known use of green walnuts in France. It's a cousin to the more well-known nocino, the Italian liquor made with green walnuts.
If you've made nocino and have wondered about the French version, I'm here to tell you that it's absolutely worth making, and I prefer it to nocino personally.
Vin de noix vs Nocino
Both liquors are made from alcohol mixed with green walnuts and, depending on the recipe, a small amount of spices, although some people might say no spices. Like with a lot of traditional recipes, there's plenty of variation.
The big differences here are in the amount of green black walnuts used to make the finished product, and in the alcohol(s) used.
Nocino is traditionally made with a flavorless alcohol like everclear or vodka, with the most common recipes simply telling you to cover halved green walnuts with booze, letting them sit for a month before straining and adding simple syrup or maple in the case of my favorite recipe. Nocino is usually pretty strong, with an ABV of about 35-50%.
Vin de noix is made from red wine and spirits, typically brandy, meaning that it has a lower ABV than nocino. Also, the amount of walnuts in vin de noix is typically much less than nocino, which means the tannins aren't as strong.
Typically the ABV of finished walnut wine will be similar to sherry at around 15-20% alcohol from what I've seen. Personally I like the lower ABV of vin de noix as it makes it easier to sip, where nocino I have to mix.
Less walnuts=less aging and tannins
As vin de noix contains less nuts than nocino it's going to take less time to age and soften the tannins, but I don't usually taste either liqueur until the six month mark. Taste the liquor from time to time as it ages and you'll see what I mean.
How to Make Walnut Wine
First, and most important, is to harvest young walnut when they're tender enough to be cut with a paring knife. It's important that you meet no resistance when cutting. If the knife hits shell, it's too late-try again next year.
Once the nuts are cut they're put into a large jar with the aromatics. Then you add red wine and brandy.
After 30 days of aging in a cool dark place, the mixture is strained, then poured back into the vessel to age.
At this point if you want you can simply bottle it too. It's traditional to use an old wine bottle.
For those who haven't made it before, know that black walnuts turn things black. I use a container dedicated for vin de noix, since even glass can get stained black where the liquid touches the container. You want to use a glass container here, since metal could react with the alcohol.
Adapting The Recipe
Just like with nocino, there's lots of debate as to exactly what aromatics should go into vin de noix. After making both types of green walnut liquor for years now, the most important thing I can tell you is that less is more.
Some traditional recipes call for nothing but liquor and walnuts, and there is nothing wrong with doing that, I actually recommend you try it once to really get the feel of the flavor that green walnuts add to liquors. Here's a few things I will add that are easy to work with.
Galium or Vanilla
Both Galium triflorum (a small handful fresh or dried) or a single vanilla bean will add a great undertone to either liquor.
You can add almond aromas by adding a big handful of dried meadowsweet flowers, or about 2 tablespoons of dried, ground chokecherries, plum or apricot kernels.
Lemon Zest
I keep it to no more than two or three peels of lemon zest in a batch of the size I outline in this post. I do not add orange or lime zest.
Young Walnut Leaves
Yes walnut leaves. The most important thing when harvesting walnut leaves is to make sure that you're harvesting young, meristematic leaves. When you rub them, the leaves should give off a similar aroma to the green nuts. Older leaves won't have an aroma. I might add 10-15 leaves to a batch of wine.
Spices
Only a few allspice berries are added-a teaspoon or so. While it might be tempting to use cinnamon or cloves as some recipes for nocino and vin de noix call for it-resist the temptation.
Using Related Nuts
I don't know about English walnuts, but I have friends that have made this with different varieties of green hickory nuts, and I've personally made it with green butternuts / white walnuts. See a comparison of green black walnuts and butternuts below.
What Does Walnut Wine Taste Like?
The finished product is rich and complex. There's more noticeable tannins in vin de noix than nocino as it's made with red wine, but as they age, they'll round out a bit, giving it notes of leather, cherry wood, and tobacco.
If you didn't tell people what they're drinking, they'll probably just ask you where you got the great sherry. The amount of sugar varies in some recipes, but I recommend starting with the small amount listed in the recipe and moving up from there. It shouldn't taste like candy.
Enjoy it as you would sherry or port. The finished product is a great thing to break out when company comes over for a drink, or as an after dinner digestif. It's also good with cheese and charcuterie, and I've been known to add a splash to dishes or sauces where I might add sherry, eau de vie or port.
Finally, vin de noix is only one of many things unripe nuts can be used to make. For a full breakdown and explanation, check out my more in-depth post on cooking with green walnuts below.
Related Posts
- Cooking with Green Walnuts
- Nocino, The Black Walnut Liquor
- Black Walnut Jam / Preserves
- Black Walnut Ketchup / Catsup
French Walnut Wine or Vin de Noix
Equipment
- 1 Gallon-sized mason jar or use an old glass pickle jar, etc.
- 1 Funnel for pouring into bottles.
- 1 Strainer
- 1 paring knife
- 1 latex gloves optional
Ingredients
Maceration
- 10 oz green unripe black walnuts, about 12 medium sized they must be soft enough that you can cut them in half easily. I like mine the size of small ping pong balls.
- 225 ML brandy scant cup
- 1125 ML red wine 1.5 bottles
Aromatics (can be varied to your taste)
- 3 cloves or allspice berries
- Small handful of dried or fresh Galium triflorum leaves
- 3 strips of lemon peel
- 100-200 grams honey or maple syrup or to taste
Instructions
Walnut Maceration
- Wearing gloves, halve the walnuts, then combine with the remaining ingredients in a half gallon glass jar you've meticulously cleaned and has no residual smells from other projects. Allow to macerate/rest for 30 days.
- If you're unsure about the sweetness, start with 100 grams of honey or maple syrup, then adjust it with more when it's done aging until you like it. If you like sweeter tipples, add the whole 200 grams.
Storing
- Strain, store in jars or corked bottles and keep in a cool dark place for at least 6 months.
- As it ages, taste the liquor occasionally to get a sense of how the tannins mellow over time. I think they’re best opened near the end of the following winter.
Serving
- Serve the walnut wine after dinner as a digestif as you would sherry or port. It's also good with charcuterie and cheese.
Gabe
Thanks for the recipe! I made a batch of this in 2023 and just opened it. To my surprise, it is somewhat carbonated. Unexpected carbonation for me is usually a sign that something went wrong; in this case I can't imagine what would have caused this, except maybe a bit of additional yeast activity from the added sweetener? But it seems to be pretty high alcohol content for something like this to have happened. It does not smell "off" to me.
Should I toss the whole batch, or is there some reasonable explanation for this?
Alan Bergo
Hmm that’s odd, I’ve never had it ferment after mixing before. It would never be harmful, but I worry about the flavor. What I’d do is heat it to kill the fermentation, cool, then taste and gauge the sweetness. As it’s been fermenting it likely has lost some sugar. If it was me I wouldn’t toss it just yet. I’d taste it, add some maple or sugar to taste, mix and see how it tastes. If it doesn’t taste like leathery sherry then I’d start over.