Aperitifs · Petaluma, California
Rue de Rêve
The aperitif hour, rewritten for California.
Rue de Rêve means Dream Street. Friends Jennifer Kimpe and Jeanne-Marie Hebert dreamed it up on a 2020 road trip along the California coast, then spent the next few years building a lighter, brighter aperitif from California wine, grape brandy and botanicals.
- Founded
- 2024
- Founded by
- Jennifer Kimpe and Jeanne-Marie Hebert
- Made in
- Petaluma, California
The story of Rue de Rêve
Jennifer and Jeanne-Marie met as neighbors in Oakland nearly twenty years ago and fell for the aperitif ritual on trips through Europe: a low, bittersweet glass before dinner that slows the evening down. Back home, they could not find one that tasted like California.
So they made one. After about three years of research and development, their first bottle, the Rosé, was ready in January 2024, followed by a Blanc and a Rouge. Jennifer brought two decades of wine and brand experience. Jeanne-Marie, a Santa Rosa native, brought the operations know-how from co-founding a Bay Area design and build firm.
The result sits somewhere between a vermouth and a spritz: lighter and easier drinking than the classic European aperitifs, and made to be poured over ice on a weeknight.
How it's made
Rue de Rêve is produced in Petaluma at Griffo Distillery, a zero-waste distillery that also makes the grape spirit used to fortify it. That spirit is blended with small-batch, organically grown wines from Kivelstadt Cellars, then aromatized with botanicals, local grape juice and a touch of organic cane sugar. Every bottle includes Sonoma County mugwort, a native bitter herb related to wormwood.
Our featured pick
Aperitif Rose Wine (750ML)
The first bottle they made, and still our favorite.
$45.00
The Rosé is where Rue de Rêve began, the bottle the founders finished in January 2024 after years of tinkering. It starts with organically grown California wine fortified with grape brandy, then layers in fruit and botanicals, including the Sonoma mugwort that gives every Rue de Rêve its gentle bitter edge.
The brandy adds polish and depth while the fruit keeps it bright and easy. Serve it the way the founders do: chilled over ice with a twist of citrus, or topped with tonic or sparkling water for a spritz that comes together in seconds.
- Tasting notes
- Bright and fruity, with a soft, bittersweet herbal finish.
- How to use it
- Serve chilled over ice with a citrus twist, top with tonic for a spritz, or use in place of vermouth in a lower-proof cocktail. Refrigerate after opening.
- Pairs with
- Olives, salted almonds, charcuterie and soft cheeses.
The whole Rue de Rêve range
3 in stock
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Aperitif Blanc Wine (750ML)
Tasting Notes: Nose: Aromas of fresh tangerine, subtle florals, and strawberry, with an underlying hint of...
$45.00
-
Aperitif Rose Wine (750ML)
Tasting Notes: Nose: Fresh and floral with vibrant notes of strawberries and mint, accented by a...
$45.00
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Aperitif Rouge Wine (750ML)
Aperitifs & Digestives
$45.00
Why we carry them
Low-proof drinks have come a long way, and this is one of the best we have tasted from the Bay Area. It is an easy yes for anyone drinking a little less, and our staff like it in place of vermouth for a lighter Negroni or Manhattan.
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