Joni Verjus is a brand of sparkling grape juice drinks that are made with upcycled fruit and contain no added sugar. Self-described as “a new way to drink,” Joni aims to bring the consumer with an often overlooked ingredient: verjus.

For those who aren’t familiar with verjus, it is the juice pressed from grapes that are picked early in the harvest. These grapes, which are removed as part of the culling process ( the thinning of grape vines to improve the flavor of the remaining grapes that are ultimately used for wine making), are often composted. 

There are two SKUs to Joni: Blanc and Rouge. Both products are zero-proof and contain carbonated water, verjus, apple juice, and a blend of extracts for flavoring. The blend of extracts varies between the two (more on that in a minute) and Rouge also includes concord grape juice to give the liquid its slightly pinkish color. 

Blanc has 40 calories and 7 grams of sugar while Rouge has 35 calories and 6 grams of sugar. Again, the sugar content comes from the added fruit juices and there are no added sweeteners. 

Both flavors have a mellow grape flavor, with the added spices enhancing  depth and complexity.  Blanc has notes of celery, basil and tarragon, leaving behind traces of light vegetal and herbal flavors. Rouge goes in a slightly different direction, with allspice, cardamom and rosemary.  These nicely complement the concord grape juice and, as a result, this variety has more body than Blanc. The added carbonation gives both SKUs a crisp finish. 

While the brand specifically says that it’s not trying to replace anything that’s already on the market, we do feel that these would be pretty good non-alcoholic replacements for a sparkling wine or a wine-based cocktail. 

In terms of appearance, Joni has a look that we’d describe as sophisticated or upscale. The glossy label has a background that looks like grapes – greenish grapes for Blanc and purplish grapes for Rouge.  This covers almost the entirety of the front panel aside from a rectangular area that contains the logo and label copy.  The Joni logo is the name spelled out along with an icon that looks like the silhouettes of two animals (perhaps fox) that overlap at the head. 

Beneath this, there’s ample space separating the flavor name and some tasting notes.  Flanking the sides of this rectangular area is small text running vertically. Here you’ll find some additional notes about the product’s key attributes, including “non alcoholic,” “lightly sparkling,” “never sweetened,” and “tart yet smooth.”

While there’s definitely something about Joni that catches the eye, we do wonder if it  needs to be more direct as to what’s inside the can.  In the current setup, we feel as though there aren’t enough clues for the consumer who isn’t already in the know about verjus (and we suspect this will be most people).  Otherwise, Joni might risk consumers moving on to other brands on the shelf. 

In the end, we really like the liquid and branding that Joni has created. Both feel like original, well-executed concepts and it very much feels like a product that could have a place in the burgeoning alcohol alternative set – if they can figure out how to communicate this proposition to consumers.  We’re pretty sure that once they try it, they’ll come back for more.