Great grapes

Oil and flour from winery leftovers

By Ashley Griffin Gartland

July 11, 2007

Leftovers and kitchen scraps, in my opinion, are not garbage; they’re gold. They can be turned into stock. They can become compost. They can be fed to your pets and, should you be so lucky, your chickens.

So here’s a tip of the compost bin to the chemistry students in Eric Leber’s classes at Heritage University in Toppenish, Washington, who went to work a few years back on coming up with alternative uses for agricultural waste. The region grows wine grapes, and the enterprising students thought up 42 different products that could be made from, well, the leftovers.

Inspired, Leber is now making varietal grapeseed oils. He buys the leftover grape bits from area wineries and then cold-presses them into extra-virgin cooking oils.

Alan Joynson, a chef from Tillamook, Oregon, has been working with Leber to craft recipes based on the products. He’s kept the whole recycling thing going by milling merlot and chardonnay flours out of leftover grapeseeds.

Oil and Vinegar, an international chain of stores devoted to said products, has started carrying Leber’s oils. And why not? Grapeseed oil contains helpful antioxidants and also vitamins C and E and beta-carotene.