Caviar de fêtes, the Gault&Millau test bench

12/13/23, 12:01 PM

Caviar is enjoyed all year round, but reigns supreme on our festive tables. Which one to choose? Discover our test bench.

A rare delicacy, synonymous with prestige and unattainable hyperluxury. And yet, a small 50g tin for the price of a pair of sneakers can reveal an unsuspected emotion within you. If numerous brands have appeared recently, notably with the development of French caviar, it's undoubtedly because there's room for democratization of the product. But what applies to foie gras, truffles or diamonds also applies to caviar: cheap luxury doesn't exist, or it's disappointing. We tested caviars from several species :

Baeri, which comes from the Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii, acclimatizes rather well in our latitudes and grows quite easily, is seeing its development soar, particularly in France. The grain is small and melt-in-the-mouth, with good balance and a certain iodine finesse.
Caviar from white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, is a rarer product, often found in Italian farms. The grain is slightly larger and shinier, with a beautiful grayish hue. The melt-in-the-mouth texture is delicate for a slightly crunchier grain.
The sevruga, Acipenser stellatus, was the most common a few decades ago, but has now been supplanted by the baeri. Quite similar to the osciètre, it comes from a small, mainly wild sturgeon, hence its gradual disappearance from catalogs. A few are still farmed, but very rarely.
Today,the osciètre is one of the most widespread and sought-after sturgeon, due to its high reputation in the wild(Acipenser persicus and Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) and its adaptability to farming. The grain is fairly firm and crunchy, with a beautiful shiny gray-green color.
Beluga is the most prestigious caviar. Experienced and wealthy connoisseurs remember beluga from wild sturgeon, a commodity nowhere to be found. Farmed beluga is still at the top of the price range today.

A variety of farmed sturgeon has emerged in China from two species living in the Amur River in Manchuria: Huso dauricus, a cousin of the beluga, and Acipenser schrenki, a cousin of the oscietra. Two major houses produce caviar that is relatively close to each other: Petrossian's "Daurenki" and Kaviari's "Kristal", with a large, crunchy grain and great finesse and power on the palate .

Our top Baeri caviar

Plum ❤

The house has been around for a long time. A pioneer at heart, it was behind the first French caviar producer in 1921 and the first sturgeon farm in the Dordogne, in 1990. The Prunier ancestor proved to be a visionary in a product that is still the stuff of dreams. Now in the hands of a Swiss group keen to promote caviar, the company has 40 sales outlets worldwide and 9 production facilities. The company is also developing derivative products such as sturgeon butter and rillettes.. .

Tasting notes:attractive, homogeneous grains, greenish in color with a few lighter shades, a pleasant, lively aroma, with vegetal and springtime notes tinged with citrus, offering a fairly elegant spectrum. The palate confirms this, despite a slightly pasty texture, with a fine balance between iodine and fruitiness .

Price: 135 euros per 30 g tin
Restaurant: 16, avenue Victor-Hugo - 75016 Paris
Manufacture: 58, rue des Moulineaux - 24700 Montpont-Ménestérol
www.prunier.com

Transmontanus Calvisius

Calvisius was born in 2017 from an entrepreneurial association aiming to recover waste heat resources from iron and steel operations, for the purpose of optimizing fish habitat. Technological innovations have continued to inspire the producers of Europe's largest sturgeon farm. Agroittica, renowned for its commitment to the environment, exports an annual production of 28 tonnes. It also farms tuna, swordfish, trout and salmon.

Tasting notes:a rather pale gray grain, engaging, bright, well detached, a supple and melting texture, but a nice sharpness. The aroma is discreet, with a certain iodized, well-balanced finesse. On the palate, the wine holds up well, with pistachio and organic notes, a certain power and character .

Price: Approx. 108 euros per 30 g tin
Agroittica Lombarda Spa, Via Kennedy - 25012 Calvisano

Sturi a

The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region offers a natural refuge for sturgeon farming. In 1986, Sturia welcomed the first Baeri sturgeons to Colombiers, and in 1991 created the first private hatchery in Saint-Seurin-sur-l'Isle. Breeder, producer, selector, refiner, Sturia is working towards a "Zero impact on the biotope" project and is actively involved in the European sturgeon preservation program and its reintroduction into the wild.

Tasting notes:a bright, anthracite color with green highlights, a fairly frank aroma, not very developed, with notes of seaweed. A certain crispness on the palate, rather pleasant. The palate lacks personality, but the good density and length make this a good caviar for tasting and accompaniment.

Price: Vintage: 75 euros per 30 g tin
102, route de Beauval - 33450 Saint-Sulpice-et-Cameyrac
www.stur ia.com

Le Comptoir du Caviar

The Gardinier brothers, the new owners of Le Comptoir du Caviar, have opened up the sale of caviar to the public, which until 2015 had been reserved for professionals. The sturgeons come from farms of various origins, notably in Poland, based on a Natura 2000 site, in the case of the baeri tasted. In a laboratory in the Yvelines region, the original cans are subjected to quality controls and tasted before packaging. Theworkshop also prepares a range of 10 taramas.

Tasting notes:an irregular appearance, dull and shiny, with a smooth, correct aroma and little saltiness, giving off an iodized effect. The grain quickly melts, making the mouth creamy and fat, carried away by the salinity, offering little gustatory interest and intensity, but correct in the fatty (smoky) iodine balance.

Price: 54 euros per 30 g tin
L'atelier: 17, rue de Civry - 78790 Mulcent (Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm and Saturday 10am to 7pm)
www.comptoirducaviar.com

Kaspi a

Founded in 1927, Kaspia has helped put caviar on the map in France. Caviar "Impérial Baeri", "Beluga Réserve", "Kaspia Gold", "Osciètre Royal" or "Sélection"... the choice is wide, as is the range of flavors available.The choice remains wide, as does the range of flavors that can be found in the famous, recently revamped Parisian restaurant, and even beyond, in Saint-Tropez, Dubai or São Paulo. Kaspia's collaboration with designers has resulted in precious objects, decanters, candles and even handbags bearing the famous brand's effigy.

Tasting notes:a large, appetizing, shiny grain, rather original in appearance for a baeri. The nose is not very pronounced, with nutty notes. The slightly soft texture gives a pasty impression, and the palate, a little dusty on the attack, evolves better on the slightly smoky saline, with an enveloping fatness.

Price: Impérial Baeri: 75 euros per 30 g tin
17, place de la Madeleine - 75008 Paris (Monday to Saturday , 12am to 1am)
www.caviarkaspia.com

Astar a

Astara boasts 1,500m2 of warehousing and laboratories and 45 reference products. Caviar remains the hallmark product, with 10 tons prepared in 2020. It is packaged in 10 g to 1 kg tins by the Giaveri farm (currently undergoing organic certification), which remains its exclusive partner. The farm controls the entire caviar production chain, from the sturgeon hatchery onwards. The restaurant's seafood board features titanium, baeri and osciètre, as well as other seafood specialties.

Tasting notes:small, shiny grains for a caviar with a marine aroma, a little standard but pleasant, well-balanced. The melt-in-the-mouth texture is a little soft, with a slightly buttery paste, offering a certain delicacy and bringing originality, but without quite convincing.

Price: 47.70 euros per 30 g tin
https://www.astara1981.com

Caviar de Neuvic

The estate is located in the Périgord Blanc region, on the banks of the Isle River, which supplies ponds equipped with photovoltaic panels. All stages of breeding are carried out, from the closerie to the preparation of caviar and sturgeon meat products. For Laurent Deverlanges, his estate is home to "the first French organic caviar, from packaging to contents": organic feed, organic caviar preparation, eco-friendly glass jars and recycled paper packaging. Brunch at the estate and VIP day.

Tasting notes:a fairly consensual caviar, with an appetizing gray-green grain and good body. The nose is fairly neutral, slightly muddy, with a melting chewiness. The grain crushes on a flavor without too much character, leaving a buttery, slightly iodized impression, lacking a little power.

Baeri Signature price: 75 euros per 30g tin
La Grande Veyssière - 24190 Neuvic-sur-l' Isle
www.caviardeneuvic.com

Volzhenk a

Formerly based in Astrakhan, on the banks of the Volga, Volzhenka is now in the heart of Greece and Italy, where the production farms are located. Sensitive to a responsible approach, the company participates in the reintegration of fish into their natural habitat. The farm's fish, purebreds from species endemic to the Caspian Sea, are fed on natural foods and raised according to ancestral traditions and know-how. Creation of ephemeral restaurants around the world.

Tasting notes:small green beans packed into a sophisticated but unrefined faux chic presentation. There's little aroma, more a sense of the container, but the palate makes a much better impression, with a clean, spring-water feel, quite balanced, accompanied by a slightly fruity fragrance.

Price: Siberian Sturgeon V15 (baeri): 75 euros per 30 g tin, 120 euros per 50 g tin
416, rue Saint-Honoré - 75008 Paris
www.volz henka.com

Perle Noire

Perle Noire, founded in 2008 by Frédéric Vidal, specializes in marine resource management, and benefits from a top-quality environmental site in the Périgord Noir. The sturgeons thrive in low-density basins that recreate an ecosystem favorable to the species.Acipenser baerii, originally from Siberia, thrivesin freshwater. Nutrient intake is strictly controlled. You can immerse yourself in the world of the farm from April to October. On-site visit and tasting of caviar butter, creamy sturgeon and trout, trout roe.. .

Tasting notes:a slightly irregular, slightly crushed black grain, which is reflected in a rapidly melting texture with very little chewiness. The palate is rather basic, not very salty, organic, even a little animalic, offering limited pleasure.

Classique: 78 euros per 30 g tin
Lieu-dit Cros Noir - 24620 Les Eyzies-de-Tayac
www.caviarperlenoire.com

Our top osciètre caviar

Kaviar i

Kaviari or 40 years' experience in selecting caviar from farms in various countries. Storage in cold rooms until maturity is the responsibility of a "caviar master", a vital stage in obtaining the optimum result, along with salting. At the factory, you can discover caviar on its own or cooked by a top chef. The Kaviari delicatessen department offers a wide choice of seafood products: tarama with bottarga, summer truffles, smoked sprats, sardines in oil.. .

Tasting notes:a large gray-green grain, with a clear aroma and hints of almond. The texture is supple and pleasant, with a grain that stands out and bursts in the mouth. The taste is slightly salty, balanced with finesse and clarity. A good product, accessible and regular, with buttery, slightly tawny notes, but not too long.

Price: Osciètre Prestige: 90 euros per 30 g tin
La Manufacture Kaviari: 13, rue de l'Arsenal - 75004 Paris
www.kaviari.fr

Prunie r

Kaviari has a long history. A pioneer at heart, it was the first French caviar producer, in 1921, and the first sturgeon farm in the Dordogne, in 1990. The Prunier ancestor proved to be a visionary in a product that is still the stuff of dreams. Now in the hands of a Swiss group keen to promote caviar, the company has 40 sales outlets worldwide and 9 production facilities. The company is also developing derivative products such as sturgeon butter and rillettes.. .

Tasting notes:a shiny gray-green grain, well-balanced, a nose of the expected standard, finesse with a vegetal note and dried fruit, chestnut-date. The grain bursts out a little pasty, the palate is clean, with a metallic attack, finding a certain balance and sweetness on the iodized, nutty finish.

Osciètre Supérieur price: 135 euros per 30 g tin
Restaurant: 16, avenue Victor-Hugo - 75016 Paris
Manufacture: 58, rue des Moulineaux - 24700 Montpont-Ménestérol
www.prunier.com

La Maison du Caviar

This is a benchmark address for Iranian caviar. But the house is not exclusive: in this institution, founded in 1956, you'll find everything you need to treat lovers of iodized meals to Norwegian smoked salmon, sturgeon, bottarga or other homemade products, such as blinis or pirojkis, accompanied by a choice of vodkas from around the world. For those living in the Paris region, an in-store pick-up service is available for tailor-made boxes.

Tasting notes:a beautiful pale, almost yellow grain. The nose is discreet, but frank and slightly iodized. The grain is crisp and pleasant on the palate, with an assertive flavor, character in the velvety sweetness on vegetable notes, with a fairly marked salinity .

Price: Osciètre Royal: 130 euros per 30 g tin
21, rue Quentin-Bauchert - 75008 Paris
www.mais onducaviar.paris

Sturi a

Tasting notes:a bright, pale-green, homogeneous grain, with a melting, crunchy texture.The palate is a little salty, with a hint of mud, but interesting for its long finish, discreet almond notes and a certain balance, without being too fatty, which will suit most palates.

Oscietra price: 87 euros per 30 g tin
102, route de Beauval - 33450 Saint-Sulpice-et-Cameyrac
www.sturia.com

Caviar de Neuvic

The property is located in the Périgord Blanc region, on the banks of the Isle River, which supplies ponds equipped with photovoltaic panels. All stages of breeding are carried out, from the closerie to the preparation of caviar and sturgeon meat products. For Laurent Deverlanges, his estate is home to "the first French organic caviar, from packaging to contents": organic feed, organic caviar preparation, eco-friendly glass jars and recycled paper packaging. Brunch at the estate and VIP day.

Tasting notes:an interesting and original caviar, with a bright green grain and a small, regular light grain, like pearls. On the palate, the grain stands out well. The work is meticulous, slightly organic, correct salt balance. A little lacking in depth and character, but a positive overall impression.

Osciètre Signature price: 89 euros per 30 g tin
La Grande Veyssière - 24190 Neuvic-sur-l'Isle
www.caviardeneuvic.com

Our top beluga caviar

Sturi a

Tasting notes:a dark yet brilliant grain, a pleasant almond nose, regular in the iodized almond crescendo. The texture is crisp but not overly so, the grain stands out well, with fatness offsetting the salinity. Well-balanced, with delicate marine notes, a fine piece of work.

Beluga: 240 euros per 30 g tin
102, route de Beauval - 33450 Saint-Sulpice-et-Cameyrac
www.sturia.com

Volzhenk a

Tasting notes:an uninviting appearance of pale mush in a not very elegant perfume-bottle container. The nose is not very expressive, a little oily and iodized. The palate is greasy and pasty, but nevertheless pleasantly buttery and slightly iodized .

Beluga price: 310 euros per 30 g tin
416, rue Saint-Honoré - 75008 Paris
www.volzhenka.com

Kaspi a

Founded in 1927, Kaspia has helped put caviar on the map in France. Caviar "Impérial Baeri", "Beluga Réserve", "Kaspia Gold", "Osciètre Royal" or "Sélection"... the choice is wide, as is the range of flavors you can enjoy.The choice is wide, as is the range of flavours that can be found in the famous, recently revamped Parisian restaurant, and even beyond, in Saint-Tropez, Dubai or São Paulo. Kaspia's collaboration with designers has resulted in precious objects, decanters, candles and even handbags bearing the famous brand's effigy.

Tasting notes:a rather doughy texture, with an expressive, well-presented fatness. Rich on the palate, but lacking a touch of delicacy, it is full-bodied, with herbaceous nuances and discreet saltiness, and a rather interesting hint of meatiness, but this is detracted from by the purée texture.