Cherry Extra Jam

Cherry jam made from French Griottes

Alain Milliat’s Extra Cherry Jam is a French cherry preserve made from sour cherries, known as griottes. With 60% fruit content, it is intensely dark, fruity, and tart, without being overly sweet. Blackish-red in the jar, with real cherry pieces.

Cherry jam made from real sour cherries is a piece of France in a jar: Alain Milliat’s Extra Cherry Jam focuses on griottes, the aromatic sour cherries that the French love so much. With 60% fruit content in every 300g jar, it tastes of ripe cherries rather than sugar—dark and vibrant.

Dark, fruity, with a refined acidity

Upon opening the jar, you are greeted by the aroma of ripe, dark cherries.

The jam has a deep blackish-red glow, is creamy, and is laced with real cherry pieces. On the palate, the griotte reveals its signature acidity, which gives contour to the sweetness and leaves a lingering finish. Dark, fruity, and vibrant on bread—a cherry with character.

This is the essence of an "Extra" jam: plenty of fruit, minimal extras. The sugar takes a backseat, allowing the sour cherry to take the lead with its typical blend of sweetness and acidity. This is how fruit tastes when it is picked at peak ripeness and processed with care.

The sour cherry is the more exciting sibling of the sweet table cherry: it possesses an acidity that awakens the palate and never tastes one-dimensional. That is exactly why it is so frequently used in France for liqueurs and chocolates, and it is precisely what gives this jam its character.

With chocolate cake and robust cheese

This cherry jam feels just as at home on the breakfast table as it does with afternoon cake.

It is a delight on a fresh croissant, and it reveals its tart side when paired with robust cheese or game. It pairs wonderfully with chocolate cake and dark chocolate, as cherry and cocoa are a classic duo. If you enjoy dark flavors, try the blueberry extra jam alongside it.

A spoonful of cherry over vanilla ice cream or rice pudding, and your dessert is sorted. You can find more for your breakfast table right here.

For a classic touch, serve it Black Forest style with whipped cream and dark chocolate, or simply on a warm pancake. The sour cherry doesn't need a grand stage; its acidity effortlessly holds its own amidst sugar and cocoa. It is a piece of France that tastes of summer and a slice of Black Forest cake, making every coffee table a little more festive.

Griottes, the cherry of the French

The French love cherries and often refine griottes into "griottines" soaked in cherry liqueur or "guinettes," sour cherries dipped in Armagnac and dark chocolate.

There is a reason why Alain Milliat is so meticulous about his cherries: his father was a cherry grower, and Alain once made a name for himself with a particularly coveted cherry variety. As Alain always emphasizes, cherries must be picked when fully ripe because the flavor develops on the tree. Alain, an orchardist himself from Orliénas near Lyon, took over the family farm in 1983 and, starting in 1997, elevated fruit to the same level of prestige he associated with wine.

The fruits are sourced from various regions in France, and the jam is cooked in the Rhône department near Lyon. What has been true for his juices since 1997 holds true here in the jar as well. The full story is told in the portrait of Alain Milliat, and you can find more varieties among our jams. Hats off.