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Lillet

The French fortified wine was created by the brothers Paul and Raymond Lillet, following an idea of the monk Father Kermann, who founded a company in Podensac (Graves-Bordeaux) in 1872. Created in 1887, the white Lillet with a golden yellow colour was produced from 85% Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, and 15% of a liqueur made from oranges, bitter oranges, limes and cinchona bark. Hence the original name was "Kina Lillet". It was not until 1962 that the red version, created by Pierre Lillet, came onto the market. It was made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, as well as portions of Merlot and Syrah. The company has no vineyards of its own, but prepares the liqueur and some of the wine itself. Also known as "L'Apéritif de Bordeaux", it quickly became a successful fashionable drink, especially among artists in London, New-York and Paris. Famous graphic artists designed advertising posters for it, among them Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) and Leonetto Cappielo (1875-1942).

Lillet - Firmensitz in Podensac und Flasche

In the 1980s, with only 18,000 bottles sold annually, the brand ran into major economic problems and was almost forgotten, especially in France. The company was bought in 1986 by Bruno Borie, who led the Lillet brand to new success with a slightly changed recipe and taste. Lillet no longer tastes sweet and bitter, but light and fruity. It is still made from wines and fruit liqueurs in a ratio of 85:15 and has 17% alcohol by volume. There are five different varieties, with the rosé only being launched in 2012:

  • Blanc: Sémillon; golden in colour; aromas of candied orange, spruce resin and exotic fruits.
  • Blanc Réserve: AOC wines of one vintage; golden in colour; aromas fruity, floral, passion fruit.
  • Rosé: Sémillon; pink-coloured; aromas of red fruits, orange blossom and grapefruit
  • Rouge: Merlot; ruby red; aromas of oranges, red fruits, vanilla and spices
  • Rouge Réserve: AOC wines of one vintage; ruby red; aromas of fruit, black and red currant, vanilla

This aperitif, which is similar to Vermouth, is traditionally served with lemon peel, grated ginger or mint and drunk chilled (8 to 10 °C). It is also used in many cocktails. The novel character James Bond 007, created by the crime writer Ian Fleming, drinks his martini cocktail not with Vermouth, as is classically the case, but with Kina Lillet. In "Casino Royale" he names it "Vesper", after the first name of a woman he is courting. Since 2008, Lillet has been owned by the giant French wine and spirits multinational Pernod Ricard.

Company headquarters: By Henry Salomé - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Bottle: By Ralf Roletschek - Own work, GFDL 1.2, Link

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Dominik Trick

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Dominik Trick
Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg

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