Puglia

Gusta Grape Preserve

4.418 reviews

Grape preserve from Puglia. Two ingredients: grapes, sugar.

$20.97

Purchase type
  • Hand-bottled by the family that picks the fruit
  • Ships from our New York warehouse in 1-2 days
  • Free shipping over $75
Puglia vineyard at golden hour with pale golden-green white grape clusters and dry stone wall
Place
Puglia grows more grapes than any other region in Italy, but most of that fruit goes to wine. The preserves come from the same vineyards, the same season, the same sun. A grape that makes good wine has the tannin and sugar that also makes a good preserve.
Copper pan with pale amber white grape jam bubbling on a wood-fired stove
Process
Whole grapes and sugar, cooked slowly until the skins soften and the preserve takes on depth. No flavoring, no color added. The set comes from the natural pectin in the grape skins. Each jar holds one batch of fruit from one season.
Weathered hands holding a cluster of pale golden-green white grapes on the vine
People
The family we work with in Puglia makes these preserves alongside their harvest work. Grapes, apricots, and figs come off the same land in the same season. We tasted this one before we carried it. The grape flavor holds.

What's inside

Ingredients
Grapes, sugar. No added pectin. No preservatives. No artificial flavors.
Contains
No known allergens.

How to use it

Spread on toast with butter. Spoon over ricotta or yogurt. Serve alongside hard cheese. Use as a base for a pan sauce.

Deeper than most grape jams. The tannin from the skins comes through.

Pairs with

Questions

  • What kind of grapes are used?
    Table grapes grown in Puglia, the same region that produces much of Italy's wine. Skin-on during cooking, which is where the color and depth come from.
  • Does it contain added sugar?
    Yes. Sugar is the second ingredient. The grape contributes most of the sweetness; the sugar balances and helps set the preserve.
  • Does it contain pectin?
    No. The natural pectin in the grape skins sets the preserve.
  • What does it taste like?
    More complex than a standard grape jelly. The skin-on cooking adds a slight tannin quality. Closer to a wine-grape flavor than a concord grape spread.
  • How is it different from grape jelly?
    Grape jelly is made from strained grape juice, with pectin added to set it. This is made with whole grapes, skins on, set naturally.
  • What are good uses beyond toast?
    Alongside aged hard cheese. As a glaze for roasted lamb or pork. Stirred into yogurt.
  • How long does it keep once opened?
    Up to three weeks in the refrigerator. Unopened, it keeps up to one year at room temperature.
  • How is this shipped?
    Ships from the US. In-stock orders go out within 1-2 business days. Free shipping over $75.
  • What if it arrives damaged or I don't love it?
    Write to us. We refund within 60 days, no questions.

Reviews

  • 5 stars: 12 (67%)
  • 4 stars: 3 (17%)
  • 3 stars: 2 (11%)
  • 2 stars: 1 (6%)
  • 1 star: 0 (0%)
N
Natalie Cole
Too sweet for me

Arrived fine, no issue there. It was just too sweet for my taste and kind of one-note on toast. My son liked it, I wouldnt reorder.

J
Jennifer Rodriguez
Loved it on yogurt

Mixed into plain greek yogurt with granola this was exactly what I was looking for. The grape flavor is distinct and real. Not too sweet. My kids ate it without complaining which at our house is a strong endorsement.

L
LINDA P.
Gifted to myself

Bought the variety pack as a gift to myself. This jar was the winner. Ordered a full jar of just this one.

D
David K.
Nice but not for everyone

The depth of grape flavor is impressive. My wife loved it immediately. I found the tannic quality a bit much for my taste on toast but excellent with cheese. Good product, just comes down to what you are pairing it with.

n
na@amazon.com
Standout in the variety pack

Had this first in the variety pack and it was the one I ordered separately. The grape flavor has a depth that I have not found in other preserves. The slight tannic quality at the finish is what makes it interesting.

M
Michael Torres
With sharp cheddar it is a different food group

A thick slice of aged cheddar and a spoonful of this preserve. I served it at a dinner party and someone asked if I made the preserve myself. That is how different it tastes from the grape jelly they expected.

n
na@amazon.com
My new go-to

Found this through a food newsletter recommendation. Ordered once skeptically. Finished the jar in a week and a half. Now it is a standing pantry item and I include it in every food gift I put together. The complexity of the grape flavor is what makes it different from anything else I have tried.

A
Amanda Choi
Baking application

Swirled this into a yogurt cake batter. The grape flavor came through beautifully in the baked loaf. Denser and more interesting than using a regular jam would have been.

k
kdc_2017
reorder 2

Second jar. First jar lasted about ten days. Not because it was small but because i used it on everything.

n
na@na.com
too complex for me

I wanted something to put on my morning toast and this was not it. Too sophisticated for that use. For a cheese board it probably works but I dont really do cheese boards. Will not reorder for my needs.

J
JAMES W.
Charcuterie pairing

Put this on my charcuterie board between the hard salami and the prosciutto. The slight sweetness of the preserve cut through the salt and fat in a way that balanced the whole board. People ate it down to the last bit. Ordering more.

t
tbaker_
completely converted

I was a sceptic. Paid this much for grape preserve sounded absurd. First jar proved me wrong. Second jar confirmed it. The flavor complexity is genuinely there. Not the same category as store jam at all.

R
Rebecca L.
This is not grape jelly

I want to be explicit about this. Grape jelly is sweet and one-dimensional and tastes like childhood. This is a preserve. It has actual grape flavor with depth and a slight tannic quality that I did not expect and now cannot live without. It belongs on a cheese board, not just on toast.

m
mlewis7
Use it with meat too

I started using this as a condiment with grilled pork. A small spoonful on the side. The sweetness and grape depth paired with the savory fat in a way that reminded me of a restaurant sauce. Did not expect that. Now it is a regular thing.

P
PATRICIA W.
Morning toast just got better

I have been on a quest for a good breakfast preserve for months. Tried four or five different things. This is the one. The grape flavor is real and not just sugar. On sourdough toast with a thin layer of butter this is a 10-minute breakfast that I actually look forward to.

n
na@na.com
ok but sweet

a little sweeter than I expected. nice grape flavor but the sweetness is forward. fine for toast, a bit sweet for the cheese board use I was hoping for. personal preference

R
ROBERT H.
Great.

Great.

n
na@amazon.com
Impressed

I am picky about preserves. I grew up in a family that made jam so my standard is high. This grape preserve met that standard. The texture has real body, the flavor is complex, and the sweetness is balanced not cloying. Good product.

Six Italian regions. Nothing reformulated. Imported direct.