ACIDE - Mulled Wine Pickled Grapes | Spiced Sweet Pickle | 500g

Winter, in a jar, without the hangover

Plump red grapes pickled with the whole mulled-wine spice cupboard — cinnamon, star anise, cloves, mandarin peel, ginger and black peppercorns. There's no alcohol in it, just the warmth and the memory of it. This is the jar for cheese boards by the fire and the first genuinely cold night of the year.

The flavour

Sweet first, properly grapey, with the fruit still tasting like fruit. The spice arrives in the middle and unfolds slowly — cinnamon and clove up top, star anise and mandarin peel underneath. The two vinegars keep a thread of acid running through the whole thing so it never tips into dessert, and the finish is a soft peppery ginger warmth.

How to cook with it

• Spoon them over a blue cheese and let them sit for a minute before serving — the syrup slackens slightly and glosses the wedge.
• Serve them alongside roast duck or pork. Any fat that rich needs a sweet acid to argue with.
• Put them next to a coarse pâté or terrine with toast — they do the job a fruit paste does, but with a sharper edge.
• Drop a few over dark chocolate ice cream or a panna cotta. The spice reads as dessert without any extra sugar.
• Rogue move: the syrup is the best part. Shake it into a cocktail or over soda with a slice of orange.

In the jar

Whole grapes sitting in a deep, faintly thickened spiced syrup, with star anise and cinnamon bark visible through the glass. The fruit stays plump and taut — it gives when you bite it rather than collapsing.

Ingredients & Dietary

Ingredients: Red grapes (50%), apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, filtered water, sugar, salt, ginger, star anise, mandarin peel, cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorns, thickener (xanthan gum [E415]).

Dietary: Contains no alcohol. May contain: tree nuts, milk, eggs, sesame seeds, fish, shellfish, mustard, soy, gluten, wheat and/or sulphites — always check the physical label.

FAQ

Is there alcohol in these? No. ACIDE build the flavour from mulled-wine spices — there's no wine and no alcohol in the jar.

Are they sweet or sour? Sweet first, with enough vinegar behind it to keep the balance. They sit closer to a condiment than a dessert.

What cheese works best? Blue is the classic pairing, but brie, washed rind and aged cheddar all hold up.

Are they gluten free? There are no gluten-containing ingredients, but the label carries a may-contain-gluten disclaimer, so we list them as gluten friendly rather than gluten free. Always check the physical label.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

Officer, I've never seen that cheese board before in my life. Build the cook around it: Butchers Axe Big Bark on a pork loin the night before, uncovered in the fridge so the surface dries and the bark actually forms, then Kosmos Q Apple Chipotle late. These grapes finish the plate.