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Dubonnet Rouge (U.S. made)
The American-made and owned version of the French wine-based aperitif of the same name
G. M. Genovese
16th January at 02:47
Tastes mostly like red wine dosed with a barleywine like J.W. Lees Harvest Ale. Ok for what it is, but quite disappointing given my motivation and aims for experimenting with it. It might end up being a subtitute for claret or whatever. Or I'll use it in the beef bourguignon I've been wanting to finally make again. I should've stopped at my favorite local store and grabbed a bottle of the Byrrh they always have in stock.
11th November 2024 at 04:43
Tasted Bonal, Byrrh and Dubonnet head to head.
Bonal is brownish, with a nice, sweet, fruity/plummy flavor. A hint of bitterness, not syrupy/cloying. Excellent.
Byrrh is the lightest color – ruby/reddish. Light and fruity flavor (weirdly like Cocchi Americano, but the wrong color), with some drying bitterness. Delicious.
Dubonnet is dark burgundy/maroon, and is the most sweet & fruity (not cloying). Excellent.
The 3 are cousins, but not subs for each other.
Bonal is brownish, with a nice, sweet, fruity/plummy flavor. A hint of bitterness, not syrupy/cloying. Excellent.
Byrrh is the lightest color – ruby/reddish. Light and fruity flavor (weirdly like Cocchi Americano, but the wrong color), with some drying bitterness. Delicious.
Dubonnet is dark burgundy/maroon, and is the most sweet & fruity (not cloying). Excellent.
The 3 are cousins, but not subs for each other.
8th September 2020 at 00:02
I saw this in the shelf of my supermarket and was so happy to see Dubonnet there. Of course, I bought a bottle and took it home. What an absolute abomination! It is quite disgusting and bears no resemblance to genuine Dubonnet. What on earth is Pernod Ricard thinking? Yuk!
9th September 2020 at 12:21
I believe the US rights to Dubonnet were sold some decades ago, perhaps even before Pernod Ricard acquired the brand. I agree with you, the US version is a poor rendition on the French-made original.