Blueberry syrup from wild forest blueberries
Alpe Pragas blueberry fruit syrup is a South Tyrolean fruit syrup made from sweet, midnight-blue wild-harvested blueberries, reduced with a 50% fruit content. No pale sugar water, but a deep, dark berry aroma that can be diluted 1:7 with water, sparkling wine, or prosecco.
Blueberry syrup from Alpe Pragas is a densely reduced fruit syrup from South Tyrol, made from wild-harvested forest blueberries. In each 500 ml bottle, Stefan Gruber packs 50% fruit, along with only sugar and a splash of lemon. The small wild berries are darker and spicier than cultivated blueberries, and that is exactly what you taste.
Midnight-blue, sweet, woody and spicy
In the glass, the syrup glistens a deep midnight blue and smells of ripe blueberries, sweet and slightly woody.
Diluted with water, it becomes a full, dark berry aroma with a fine spiciness—round, deep, and long-lasting. The wild blueberry has more character than its big sister from the plantation; it is more tart, concentrated, and honest.
What remains is a woody spiciness that is reminiscent of a summer day in the bushes. A spoonful turns the glass a deep violet and leaves you wanting more.
Wild forest blueberries are smaller, darker, and more intense than the large cultivated blueberries from the plantation; their pulp is dyed blue through and through. They are laboriously gathered by hand, berry by berry, which makes them something special.
From berry aperitif to game sauce
In a 1:7 ratio with ice-cold mineral water, the blueberry syrup becomes a dark lemonade; with sparkling wine, it becomes a berry aperitif.
But it can also be savory. It works just as well in yogurt and over vanilla ice cream, in rice pudding or semolina porridge, and a dash in a game sauce adds fruity depth to venison or stag. The dark berry also looks great over pancakes or Kaiserschmarrn.
For the light variety alongside it, the apricot syrup is a perfect match; all varieties can be found under Alpe Pragas syrups. Once opened, the bottle will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.
Exactly this effort is packed into the glass: a concentrated forest aroma that you won't find in any cultivated berry. A dash in red cabbage or with roasted duck breast shows that the blueberry is also at home in savory dishes.
Wild harvesting and Dolomite craftsmanship
In 1997, Stefan Gruber founded his fruit manufactory in the Prags Valley, at an altitude of about 1250 meters in the Dolomites. The experimentation of a farm successor who preferred fruit to livestock became one of the first companies in Italy to feature such a high fruit content.
The 50% fruit content makes the syrup dark and productive; a spoonful goes further than you might think. Gruber focuses on the small wild berry instead of cheap bulk production, and you can taste that in the concentrated berry core.
The wild blueberries are gathered and gently reduced, with no artificial flavors, vegan and gluten-free. For those who also like berries for breakfast, the blueberry fruit spread is the perfect addition.
Behind the syrup is a small South Tyrolean manufactory that has its hands full with the wild harvest in the summer. You can taste this handiwork—an aroma that industrial mass-produced goods never achieve and that is worth every spoonful.
Sparkling wine, berries, and mint for the punch
For a summer punch, add four tablespoons of blueberry syrup to a bottle of well-chilled sparkling wine, along with a handful of fresh berries and a few mint leaves.
Stirred over pancakes, porridge, or into a smoothie, the dark berry starts the day off right, and in winter, a spoonful turns rice pudding a deep blue. A dollop also looks good next to a strong mountain cheese—sweet-tart to contrast the saltiness, similar to how lingonberries are served elsewhere.
Over Greek yogurt with granola, the same syrup makes for a quick breakfast. Served well chilled, the blueberry is at its most vibrant. Dark and good.
