Kaviari expertise - Caviar ageing / maturation

When the original tins of caviar (500g, 1kg or 1.8 kg) arrive at Kaviari, they are stored in cold rooms for maturation. A long process of  ageing  begins. The salt will be absorbed by osmosis:  this fusion is what will give the caviar grains their texture, taste and uniqueness. A too young caviar is tasteless and it is necessary to wait at least 3 months after the harvest for he caviar to reveal its best aromas. Like a wine cellar master or a  cheese affineur, Bruno, our caviar expert, monitors the good process of caviar aging until they have reached full maturity.

It is a long journey of learning to expertise, a know-how that has become rare. Our master knows intimately each caviar, each variety and its way to improve. We observe, however, that the same variety of farmed caviar "ages" differently depending on where the species has been raised: an Italian oscietra will not be refined the same way as a Bulgarian oscietra .  The environment and raising methods of a sturgeon differ from one aquaculture farm to another, just as vineyards of the same area will provide distinct wines according to the different cultivation and winemaking methods.