Apple Juice Pack Ruby Red

Kohl Ruby Red Apple Juice Bundle, the red juices from the Ritten

The Ruby Red Apple Juice Bundle from Kohl Mountain Apple Juice brings together the red and dark juices from Unterinn on the Ritten: six bottles of the single-varietal Rouge, four cuvées with blackcurrant, and two with wild blueberry. A bundle for those who prefer their juices tart rather than sweet.

Ruby Red Apple Juice Bundle is the red selection from the Thomas Kohl cider mill on the Ritten in South Tyrol: twelve 0.75-liter bottles, including six bottles of the single-varietal Rouge mountain apple juice, four bottles of apple juice with blackcurrant, and two bottles of apple juice with wild blueberry. Nine liters of naturally cloudy direct juice, five percent cheaper than when bought individually.

The color comes from the fruit, not the name. The Rouge gets its color from the pulp, while the two cuvées get theirs from the berries. At the table, you might mistake these juices for wine in the glass.

Standing up to hearty food without appearing sweet is the most difficult task for a juice. That is exactly what the Ruby Red was put together for: three varieties that provide acidity and tannins instead of sweetness.

Weirouge, red to the core

Six of the twelve bottles are Rouge, pressed from the Weirouge—a red-fleshed variety from Weihenstephan whose juice runs red from the press without any additives.

The variety owes its color to a high content of anthocyanins, the plant pigments that also give cherries and blackcurrants their red hue. In the glass, the Rouge smells of cherry, redcurrant, and rhubarb, and it tastes significantly more acidic than a standard apple juice.

The Weirouge was bred in Weihenstephan, where red-fleshed wild apples were backcrossed into edible varieties over decades. On the Ritten, it produces small, hard fruits and not many of them, which is why this juice is never available in large quantities. At the "Mostbarkeiten 2019," the major tasting event for the Alps-Adriatic region, it scored 18 out of 20 points, winning gold. The Rouge Mountain Apple Juice is available individually in the Gourmet line.

What the blackcurrant and wild blueberry contribute

Both cuvées in the bundle use real berry juice, not flavorings—and in very different concentrations.

For the apple juice with blackcurrant, fifteen percent blackcurrant is enough to color the juice night-blue and give it a dry tartness. Anyone familiar with these berries from the garden will recognize them immediately in the glass.

The apple juice with wild blueberry goes significantly further with twenty percent, yet remains velvety and rounder because the wild berry contains less acidity than cassis. It was named Italy's best fruit juice in 2020 and is included in the bundle with two bottles.

Pairs with game, bacon, and hearty cheese

All three varieties in the Ruby Red stand up to dishes where a mild apple juice would fail.

With game poultry and braised venison, the blackcurrant picks up the roasted aromas without appearing sweet. Beside South Tyrolean bacon and aged mountain cheese, the acidity of the Rouge cuts through the fat where a beer would otherwise be served. And for quark dumplings or a dark chocolate dessert, the wild blueberry is a perfect match because its dark fruit provides a counterpoint to the sweetness.

Stored cool, served chilled

Stored closed in a cool, dark place, each bottle will last at least a year; once opened, they remain fresh for about six days if refrigerated. All three varieties should be served in a stemmed glass at 8 to 10 degrees Celsius. The Sunshine bundle is yellower and milder, while the Mountain Apple Juice 12-pack offers more variety.