Blue

Into the blue, once to the sea

Blue stands for vastness, calm, and trust – the color of the sea, the sky, the forget-me-not. In our Blue color world, you will find Breton sardines, alcohol-free sparkling tea, blueberry fruit spreads, Pinot Blanc, eggnog, floral scent tea, and white chocolate in blue attire.

Blue is the color of distance and depth – the sky over Brittany, the Aegean in July, the fishing boat on the horizon. It has a cooling, calming effect and triggers a longing for the sea. When you open our blue category, you are venturing into the blue: Breton harbor tins, Danish sparkling tea, blueberries from South Tyrol, glacial milk soap from the Tyrol region.

Blue, the color of vastness

Blue is the color with the largest share of everyday life: the sky is blue, the sea is blue, and most people name blue as their favorite color. In color psychology, it stands for trust, calm, and clarity. In surveys, 42 percent of Europeans name blue as their favorite color – no other shade scores so clearly.

Goethe called it the "meaningful color"; it does not irritate and encourages thought. Renaissance painters used ground lapis lazuli, more expensive than gold at the time, to paint Mary's mantle. One kilo of ultramarine blue from Afghanistan cost the equivalent of a small house in the 15th century. Today, we encounter blue as a sardine tin from Quiberon, as a Danish lemonade bottle, as a wine bottle with a blue label.

For us, blue is the color of the longing for a vacation. It smells of salt water, algae, and a conversation on the pier. It sounds like seagulls, ship ropes, sunscreen, and the cooling sound of an old bicycle on gravel at the harbor.

Blue has another quiet advantage: it calms. Doctors and architects appreciate it in waiting rooms, hotels in bathrobes, restaurants on tablecloths. Those who put blue things on the table give the conversation a calmer foundation, at least in theory. In practice, the color also does wonders for sardines.

Over twenty blue favorites from seven countries

In our blue world, delicacies gather from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, South Tyrol, and Germany – all in blue attire.

From Brittany: la belle-iloise sardines with Muscadet, sardines for frying with barrel butter, sardines with lemon thyme and Timut pepper, and the La Quiberonnaise vintage sardines in white wine. From Portugal, the Porthos tuna tin and the La Perle des Dieux small sardines.

From Denmark, the Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Blå – an alcohol-free sparkling tea with a blue label. From Italy, Cipriani Sansovina pasta sauce, Cipriani organic penne, and Cipriani tagliatelle all'uovo. From South Tyrol, the Alpe Pragas blueberry spread and the Floral Scent Tea from the South Tyrolean Herbal Rebels. From Germany, the Steitz Pinot Blanc from Rheinhessen and two eggnog classics: Rübbelberg and NORK with vanilla.

Which blue at what hour?

Blue has many depths: light sky blue, deep night blue, turquoise sea blue, and quiet forget-me-not blue.

For an aperitif, the light blue: a glass of Copenhagen Blå with a slice of lemon, plus a tin of small sardines on toast. For lunch, the deep blue: tagliatelle with Sansovina sauce and a few flakes of Sal de Ibiza truffle chips.

For the evening, the quiet blue: a glass of Steitz Pinot Blanc, sardines with Muscadet on bread, and to finish, a bar of Bonnat Los Colorados 75%. That is how the evening becomes quiet.

Manufactories on the coast and in the herb garden

Behind every blue label is a story by the water – ten manufactories define our blue world, and each one works with the sea, the herb garden, or the vineyard.

The Hilliet family has been running la belle-iloise in Quiberon since 1932 – today, Caroline Hilliet-Le Branchu is at the helm in the fourth generation. "The sardine is not an industrial product," says Caroline, "it is a fish that takes its time." In the cannery, the sardines are still gutted, salted, and placed in oil by hand; no machine touches them. La Quiberonnaise next door has been making vintage sardines since 1921; every tin bears the year the fish was caught. The longer you wait, the more tender it becomes. A thought that lingers.

In Copenhagen, Jacob Kocemba and Nikolaj Nørregaard invented the Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Blå, a cuvée of eight organic teas, alcohol-free, using the champagne production method. "Alcohol-free does not have to be boring," explains Jacob, who was previously a sommelier at the Michelin-starred restaurant Noma. In the Palatinate, Heinrich Steitz in Kindenheim presses his Pinot Blanc with long yeast contact fermentation; the wine becomes creamy, juicy, with mineral length. Impressive.

In South Tyrol, Alexander Agethle and the Herbal Rebels hike through meadows and forests at an altitude of 1,800 meters, collecting blossoms and leaves for the South Tyrolean Floral Scent Tea. "A tea is a picture book of a region," says Alexander, and that is true: a handful of Alpine meadow in a bag.

And on the Portuguese Algarve coast, the Figueiredo family has been producing Porthos tuna since 1880 – the company is one of the oldest canneries in Portugal and still works today with fishermen using the traditional "armadilha" fishing technique. No large trawlers, but net cages with little bycatch.

Blue for fish, for wanderlust, for an evening by the sea

Blue gourmet food is a vacation in a glass and a tin. A Breton summer evening on your home table.

For a picnic by the lake: two tins of small sardines, a baguette, Sal de Ibiza truffle chips from the bag, and a bottle of rosé in the cooler bag. Add a piece of Bordier butter and a dab of Dijon mustard, that is enough for half an afternoon. For dinner: Olasagasti tuna anchovy cream on toast, accompanied by sardines with lemon thyme and Timut pepper – the five herbs turn the bread into a little feast.

And for afternoon coffee: Antonio Mattei cantuccini in the pot, a glass of floral scent tea, an hour of time, and a good chair. That is all you need.

Which sardine classic for which blue?

Brittany produces vintage sardines just as other regions produce wine – except the tin can sit in the cellar for ten years and taste better afterwards. Three houses define this culture: la belle-iloise, La Quiberonnaise, and La Perle des Dieux, all in the Bay of Quiberon.

The La Quiberonnaise vintage sardines in white wine are marinated with Muscadet wine and a sprig of thyme – you turn the tin over once every six months so that the oil distributes evenly. After three years, they are creamy, buttery, and soft. The belle-iloise sardines with Muscadet play in the same league, slightly lighter in profile. And the sardines with lemon thyme and Timut pepper are the most aromatic variety, with an unusual citrus note from the Himalayan pepper.

For the dinner table: open a tin, a slice of country bread, a glass of Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine, and that's it. No sauce, no extras. The sardine is the star.

Blue gifts that smell of the sea

A blue box is a small package of wanderlust. For a colleague's farewell, for a sister's move, for an uncle's birthday.

We are happy to put together a package for you: a bottle of Steitz Pinot Blanc, sardines with Muscadet, La Quiberonnaise vintage sardines in white wine, a Copenhagen Blå, and for the bath, a Tiroler Reine glacial milk liquid soap. The glacier in the bathroom – a nice idea.

Browse through our color worlds – blue is the gateway to the sea, nine other colors are waiting inland.