Juice and nectar

On the shelf, they stand side by side, often from the same producer and with the same fruit on the label: one juice, one nectar. The difference lies not in the quality, but in the fruit – and in the fine print on the label.

Flasche Morellenfeuer Kirschsaft von van Nahmen

They stand side by side on the shelf, often from the same juicery and with the same fruit on the label: one is juice, the other nectar. The difference lies not in the care taken, but in the fruit itself – and the fine print on the label.

The answer in a single sentence: juice is the fruit and nothing else; nectar is the fruit with water and usually a little sugar. For some fruits, this isn't a fallback, but the only form in which people enjoy drinking them. The rest of this guide explains why that is, what the labels on the shelf mean, and how you can tell exactly how much fruit ends up in your glass.

Are nectar and juice the same thing?

No, and the difference is defined by law. According to the Fruit Juice and Refreshing Beverage Ordinance, fruit juice is the fermentable but unfermented product obtained from the edible part of ripe and sound fruits, possessing the color, aroma, and taste characteristic of that fruit's juice. What can be added is strictly limited: aroma, pulp, and cells of the same fruit species may be returned to the juice, lemon juice may be used to correct acidic flavors (up to 3 g/l), and salt, spices, and herbs are only permitted in tomato juice. Sugar is not on the list.

Fruit nectar, according to the same ordinance, is something different: juice or fruit purée, plus water, with or without types of sugar or honey. The amount of sweetness that can be added is capped, depending on the fruit group, at 20, 15, or 10 percent of the total weight. And because the quantity of fruit is the crucial piece of information for nectar, it must appear on the front of the bottle: "Fruit content: at least ...%", in the same field of vision as the name of the drink.

Nevertheless, the quickest litmus test in the store is the ingredient list. For juice from a single fruit, you often don't need one at all, because there is only one ingredient. For nectar, the ingredients are listed in descending order of their proportion, meaning the first line reveals what the bottle contains the most of. On the Black Currant Nectar from van Nahmen, it reads: water, black currant juice, sugar, fruit content at least 33%. If the fruit is listed before the water, there is more fruit than water inside.

Is nectar 100% juice?

No. Depending on the fruit, a nectar contains between at least 25 and 50 percent juice or fruit purée; the rest is water and often a bit of sugar. The minimum contents are listed in Annex 5 of the ordinance, neatly categorized by fruit: 25 percent for passion fruit and black currant, 35 for sour cherries, 40 for raspberries, apricots, and strawberries, and 50 for quinces, apples, pears, and peaches.

There are two reasons why a fruit ends up on the shelf as a nectar, and you can taste both. The first is acidity: black currant and rhubarb are simply too tart as pure direct juice, according to the van Nahmen juicery. The second is consistency. A white peach or an apricot does not yield a clear glass when pressed, but rather a mash. Such fruits are sieved, crushed, or ground without separating the juice; what results is called fruit purée, which in its pure form is more like a spoonful of food than a drink. Only water turns it into something you’d want to drink.

How seriously a juicery takes the fruit is revealed by the margin above the minimum requirement. For rhubarb nectar, the ordinance mandates 25 percent; van Nahmen bottles it at 70 percent, with the rest being water and a little sugar for balance. The Constantinople Quince from the same producer contains at least 85 percent fruit, compared to the mandated value of 50. Such figures are on every nectar bottle, and they are the most honest comparison the shelf has to offer.

A second look should be directed at the sweetness. If a nectar label states that no sugar has been added, it contains no sugars, honey, or sweeteners; the ordinance then additionally requires the note "contains naturally occurring sugars," because the fruit brings its own. If this sentence is missing, it has been sweetened, and the ingredient list will tell you with what.

The same math applies to peaches from another perspective. Alain Milliat, grandson and son of farmers and a farmer himself, began bottling his first six juices and nectars in 1997 and selects his fruits from producer groups himself, based on optimal ripeness. His White Peach Nectar consists of half white peach pulp, plus water, sugar, and two helpers to maintain color and freshness: citric acid and ascorbic acid. It is pressed in Valence in the Drôme region.

What do "direct juice" and "from concentrate" mean?

The ordinance recognizes two types of juice: fruit juice and fruit juice from concentrate. Both are 100 percent fruit; they have simply taken different paths. With concentrate, water is removed from the juice after harvesting – at van Nahmen, to one-sixth of the volume – and added back before bottling. This saves weight during transport, which is why the notice "from fruit juice concentrate" must be clearly visible next to the name of the drink. If you don't read that, you're missing half the information.

"Direct juice," on the other hand, is a voluntary declaration. It refers to juice that is pressed directly from the fruit and bottled; "mother juice" means the same thing. Two other words on the label are standard in the trade and only describe appearance: "clear" and "naturally cloudy." And according to the guidelines for fruit juice and fruit nectar, only juices produced without permitted additives – excluding L-ascorbic acid – carry the label "100% fruit content."

A look toward South Tyrol shows just how far this can go. At 1,000 meters above sea level in Ritten, Thomas Kohl, who is a native of the area, presses his mountain apple juices as single-varietal products: the Gravensteiner Mountain Apple Juice is 100% apple juice from a single variety, unfiltered, containing the natural cloudy particles. An apple yields its juice readily, so it requires neither water nor sugar, which is why you can taste the variety in it as clearly as you can taste the grape in a wine.

The name on the bottle also reveals more than you might think. According to the guidelines for fruit juice and fruit nectar, cherry juice and cherry nectar are generally made from sour cherries. So, if you expect a sweet table cherry from van Nahmen’s *Morellenfeuer*, you will get something tart in your glass: 100% direct cherry juice, without water or sugar.

Also on the shelf are two relatives that are easily confused with nectar. Fruit juice spritzers are juice, water, and carbon dioxide; for apple spritzer, at least 50 percent juice is standard, while 25 percent is common for rhubarb spritzer. Fruit juice drinks, by contrast, consist mainly of water: at least 30 percent fruit for pome fruit and grapes, 10 for other fruits, and 6 for citrus fruits. If you want to know what you’re holding, read the name and the ingredient list. If sugar is listed near the top, it’s primarily sugar water.

How long does an open bottle last?

Longer than you think when unopened: manufacturers state 18 to 36 months for glass bottles, 9 to 12 months for cartons, and 6 to a maximum of 9 months for single-use PET; refrigerated goods in PET last about 2 months. Store the bottles in a dry, dark, and cool place, preferably in the pantry. As soon as it is open, it belongs in the refrigerator, and then it's a matter of days, not weeks. The producers say it themselves: van Nahmen gives opened black currant nectar five days, Alain Milliat gives his bottles three.

Two simple steps will save you the guesswork. First: look and smell before you pour. If a layer of mold is floating on top or it smells like alcohol or vinegar, get rid of the rest. If, however, only pulp has settled at the bottom, just give the bottle a shake, and it will redistribute. Second: pour into a glass instead of drinking from the bottle. If you drink from the bottle, the remainder will spoil much faster.

I had my "aha!" moment regarding juice as a food companion almost 10 years ago when we were invited to dinner with Thomas Kohl at the Restaurant 1908 in the Parkhotel Holzner. Like a good wine, the mountain apple juice from South Tyrol accompanied the dishes and made them shine. There was no trace of heavy sweetness; instead, the juices contributed freshness and balanced acidity. Whether black currant with venison ragout, hops with flank steak, or apricot with quark dumplings, Kohl's juices are surprising food companions. My favorite variety is the Wintercalville, a noble variety that Thomas bottles only in magnums.

Even though some customers think nectar is juice diluted with water, I really enjoy drinking van Nahmen’s rhubarb nectar in summer as a spritzer with sparkling mineral water. And nectar is by no means just diluted juice. Some fruits are not suitable for juicing and require the addition of water to be enjoyable, because they contain too much pulp or too much acidity. This is especially true for rhubarb, but also for quince, black currants, or mango. Not all nectars are the same; it depends on the amount of water added and, of course, the quality of the fruits. Try the Vineyard Peach Nectar from Alain Milliat, and you too will be convinced by nectar.

Juice or nectar: which bottle for what

For what	What	On the shelf
Breakfast, single-varietal and pure	Apple juice, unfiltered	Kohl, Mountain Apple Juice Gravensteiner
With food, like a good wine	Single-varietal apple juice in a magnum	Kohl, Wintercalville
For hearty cuisine	Cherry juice, direct juice	van Nahmen, Morellenfeuer
Spring in a glass, topped with sparkling water	Rhubarb nectar with 70% fruit	van Nahmen, Rhubarb Nectar
For autumn and game	Quince nectar, at least 85% fruit	van Nahmen, Constantinople Quince
Velvety for toasting	Nectar from white peach pulp	Alain Milliat, White Peach Nectar
Dark and tart, well diluted	Black currant nectar	van Nahmen, Black Currant