G'Vine Floraison is a 40% abv. / 80 proof, small batch, numbered bottle, copper pot still, hand crafted gin made in France. Floraison translates roughly into bloom, blossoming, or flowering. Which is the perfect term for this gin.

The base spirits are distilled from grapes as opposed to grain neutral spirits as is common with most other gins. Wine from Ugni blanc grapes growing in the Cognac region of France is distilled four times to produce the neutral grape spirit. Then the botanicals; juniper, nutmeg, coriander seed, cubeb berries, ginger root, liquorice root, green cardamom, cassia bark, and lime are infused for several days with the spirits before distillation. This gin is then blended with infusions of the unique fleur de vigne (green grape flowers), as well as fresh botanicals, and distilled again. It is these blooming, green grape flowers, that lead to the use of Floraison in the name.

G'Vine Floraison gin has a sweet and spicy floral aroma with hints of cardamom and ginger, with a juniper base. This is the most floral smelling gin I have ever experienced. Intoxicatingly, I inhaled the vapors deep into my nasal passages until the smell of flowers and spice seeped deep into my brain. As Bluecoat American Dry Gin did with its musky orange scent, so too did G'Vine Floraison French Gin with its spicy floral scent. I feel that for me there is now a tie for the best smelling gin, each unusual in its own way.

The taste is sweet with flowers and spice. The floral taste of the green grape flowers is very upfront, with juniper, cardamom and ginger following along behind; like supporting dancers on stage rushing out, following their leader. The finish brings back the floral taste again and is very long and dry. It really has a strong, sweet start, which ends up quite dry. The flowers and spice linger on the palate for a very long time, changing slightly from sip to sip. If I close my eyes and really think about I, I can just make out the hints of nutmeg, cassia (what we think of as cinnamon in the US), and coriander seed wafting by.

This is one of the most delightful gins I have had in a long time. I tried it first in late December 2006. I had my eye on it for a few weeks but with my holiday focus on other libations it just had to wait. I had been put off gin for a few weeks by a new, small batch product that I tried earlier that month. That poor spirit made me lose faith in gin, but now I am a stronger believer than ever. This is just so amazingly different than any other gin I have experienced. The floral intensity is so smooth, soft, and feminine. So sexy, that my tongue tingles like that first kiss you have when you are falling in lust with someone new and exciting.

I haven't really enjoyed any of the other French gins I have tried like Magellan and Citadelle. The iris root and flowers just don't really agree with my palate. But the green grape flowers are something special. Their scent and taste are what makes this gin so interesting and unique.

I tried this gin straight up in a snifter, on the rocks, with tonic water, and in a martini. Each way was better than the next. I don't think I could drink this every day. It is just too special, so much so that after one or two I put away the bottle so I can look forward eagerly to my next date, um.. chance meeting, hmmm I'm all confused in how I feel about my experiences with this gin, so sensual it is. But not about the G'Vine itself, of that I am sure. Oh, by the way, the name G'Vine is pronounced like divine.

Currently G'Vine Floraison French Gin is only available only in New York and New Jersey. It will be available in Florida, Illinois and Washington, D.C., in 2007 and grow from there. The retail price is in the $33-$40 range depending where you buy and online is available for under $30.