Here at Union Wine Co., our main focus is obviously on making amazing wine, but we always have our ear to the ground in search of new and interesting ways to use our wine.

Even if you are not from the Portland area, chances are you have heard of, or maybe even use Jacobsen Salt. Ben Jacobsen, owner, purveyor and the genius salt guru behind Jacobsen Salt, has been making fine flake, kosher and finishing flavored salt for almost 8 years. Ben takes the water right from Netarts Bay on the Oregon coast and boils it down in huge caldrons to remove all the water from the salt.

When Ben approached us to do a Pinot Noir Salt we were really excited about the concept. Unlike many “flavored” salts that are just salt mixed up with various other flavors, the Jacobsen Pinot Noir Salt is a literal infusion. Ben takes our Underwood Pinot Noir and reduces it to concentrate the flavor, color, viscosity, and aroma. Then, while the salt is still wet he sprays the wine reduction over the salt, so as it dries, the flavors and color fully infuse. This process is repeated 3-5 times, depending on size and dampness of the salt. For this product, Ben specifically uses pure flake salt.

Then at his ‘Salt Works’ on the shores of Netarts Bay, he dries, flavors and packages all of his salts.

So…what the heck do you do with Pinot Noir Salt, one might ask. Well, Ben recommends using it on just about anything that would go well with Pinot Noir such as burgers and steaks, but his favorite combination is actually stone fruit, such as peaches and nectarines.We decided to try it out with a ‘7-minute egg’ and it was a delicious pairing.

To cook, brings the eggs to room temperature. Add about 3 inches of water to a pot that will comfortably hold all the eggs you wish to cook. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce to a slow simmer. Gently add the eggs and cook, ensuring the water stays at just a simmer for exactly 7 minutes. As soon as the timer goes off, place the eggs in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Once they are fully cooled, VERY gently peel the eggs and serve with a generous sprinkling of Pinot Noir Salt.

We would like to thank Ben for spending some time with us to explain the infusion process, and for putting Netarts Bay on the map with his phenomenal products.

Photography and Text by David L. Reamer.  (@dlreamer)

BEN JACOBSEN IG:   @ben_jacobsen
JACOBSEN SALT CO IG:  @jacobsensaltco