Strawberry Nectar

Velvety Strawberry Nectar from Senga Sengana

Alain Milliat’s strawberry nectar is a French fruit nectar made from Senga Sengana strawberries with 40% fruit content; sweet, velvety, and candy-red. A nectar is created from fruit pulp rather than clear juice, and this one smells just like freshly cooked strawberry preserves.

Strawberry nectar of this richness is a piece of childhood in a glass: Alain Milliat’s strawberry nectar captures the aroma of hand-harvested Senga Sengana, a strawberry variety that ripens to be exceptionally sweet and aromatic. With 40% fruit content, it is dense and velvety, far more than an ordinary strawberry juice.

Candy-red, velvety, with a jammy note

As soon as you pour it, the nectar glows an intense candy-red in the glass and scents the air with the seductive aroma of freshly picked, fully ripe strawberries.

The texture is lush and velvety, and the aroma carries those jammy notes reminiscent of freshly cooked strawberry preserves. It rests on the tongue, fruity, sweet, and velvety, with the aromatic power of a fully ripe berry. "With its candy-red color, lush texture, and sincere aromas, it embodies gourmet indulgence," Alain Milliat himself enthuses.

It is not without reason that it took third place in the house's 2022 annual ranking. For Alain, the strawberry is the fruit of childhood and the fruit that heralds summer: lively, sunny, and full of sweetness.

The Senga Sengana has been considered the quintessential strawberry for preserves for decades because its dark, robust aroma remains intact even when processed. That is exactly what you taste in this nectar: no watery sweetness, but genuine, deep strawberry flavor. Those who enjoyed sneaking tastes of strawberry jam from a wooden spoon as children will immediately rediscover that feeling here.

Straight, with sparkling wine, or in dessert

The strawberry nectar is a versatile companion, from breakfast to an apéro.

Enjoyed straight and well-chilled, it is a velvety delight; topped with mineral water, it becomes a fruity spritzer; and with a splash of sparkling wine, it transforms into a festive aperitif. A spoonful over vanilla ice cream, in a milkshake, or between two layers of sponge cake: as dense as it is, it shines throughout the dessert kitchen.

A thin-rimmed white wine glass and a temperature of 8 to 12 degrees Celsius provide the perfect stage for the Senga Sengana, allowing its aroma to unfold most beautifully. The juices are clearer and more tart, and you will find a berry-related option in the raspberry nectar.

Senga Sengana and the juice vs. nectar question

A nectar is created when a fruit cannot be pressed into a clear juice; it is made from fruit pulp, water, and a little sugar.

The European Fruit Juice Directive allows up to 20 percent sugar in nectar and requires only about 25 percent fruit content, depending on the fruit. Alain pays little mind to that; his strawberry nectar contains 40 percent fruit. The Senga Sengana is harvested by hand because, as Alain emphasizes, the flavor develops on the vine, and processing takes place in the Rhône Valley south of Lyon.

Alain Milliat, himself a fruit grower from Orliénas, took over the family farm in 1983 and started his project in 1997 to elevate juices and nectars to the level of fine wines. He sent his first creations to 60 top-tier restaurants and immediately convinced the sommeliers, who found the entire fruit reflected in the glass. Learn more in the portrait of Alain Milliat, and find more velvety varieties from apricot to pear in our nectars collection. Bravo.