Aquitaine has become a benchmark for sturgeon breeding and the production of this “black gold”. With 34 tonnes of caviar per year, the region provides 70% of French production.
–Aquitaine caviar comes from the eggs of sturgeons born and raised here and coming from farms located in the south of the Gironde, as well as along its estuary, but also from the Bassin d’Arcachon, the basins of Isle , in Dordogne, and Adour.
For beginners, Beluga caviar is ” one of the most prestigious and sought after selections in the world. Its gray-grained grains, mash and delicate flavors make it an exceptional caviar. Also, on tasting, Beluga Sturia caviar reveals a creamy, buttery texture, with notes of almond, tonka bean, with a sour touch reminiscent of lime. Gourmet at will… Its length in the mouth is exquisite! »
Its quality is due to the high sturgeon species, the huso huso, which is quite simply the largest freshwater fish. It reaches almost 2 m in length, and weighs no less than 60 kg, for a production of about 15 kg of eggs.
What makes the production of Sturgeon unique is its know-how in sturgeon breeding. For females to reach maturity, it takes no less than twenty years, while other producers offer caviar after less than 10 years of breeding. The fish farms attached to Sturgeon are also very involved in animal welfare, which is essential for the company.
The difference in maturity, the reputation of the product, and its qualities make French Beluga caviar one of the most prestigious. Its price is up to the task: 10,000 euros per kilo, against around 2,500 euros for Baeri caviar or Oscietra caviar.
A preparation in the greatest secrecy …
It was at the end of the 90s that Sturgeon launched this precious production. A specialist in sturgeon reproduction, the Gironde company was contacted by an Italian firm to provide all its expertise concerning the reproduction and pre-grow-out of sturgeons. Sturia then assigns two of his fish farmers near Treviso, and in exchange for this help, the breeder offers Sturia some of the fertilized eggs. A few days later, the eggs will hatch in Aquitaine and will become the first French huso huso sturgeon.
Sturgeon thus launches himself, with the greatest discretion, in the breeding of a thousand individuals. Twenty years later, the results are there. At the end of 2020, around forty specimens were selected and transferred to a lighter basin, to always perfect the final product. Four lucky winners offered around 60 kg of this Beluga black gold.
The product is sold in boxes of 30 g, 50 g or 100 g, available in delicatessens, fishmongers or wine merchants. As the health crisis continues to paralyze the catering sector, Sturgeon cannot supply the big French tables with this refined product. But the company consoles itself by exporting, particularly to the Middle East, and particularly to Dubai.
It’s a safe bet that this launch will have a positive impact on the entire regional sector, with demand which should increase when hotels and restaurants reopen. In the meantime, this same sector is working to obtain a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), the application of which was filed in 2017.
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