Some suppliers you just have to like. Gonidec is one of them. The Breton cannery makes sardines exactly as you would want them: from the sea right off their doorstep, caught gently and processed by hand. With us, you can find them under Les Mouettes d'Arvor – Gonidec's premium line. Behind the cans is no anonymous fishing fleet, but eight local boats that Gonidec has been working with for years. Some names are even printed directly on the can – War Raog IV, War Raog III or Étoile Polaire. It hardly gets any more transparent than that.  

For more than 60 years, the Conserverie Gonidec in Concarneau has been processing sardines, mackerel, and tuna by hand – using fish from local catches, purchased at the Concarneau auction.

Vintage Sardines: The Grands Crus of the Seafood World Vintage sardines are the crème de la crème of tinned sardines—hand-picked September catches that are meticulously processed by hand and aged for years or even decades. Like fine wines, they only develop their full aroma after 5 to 10 years, when the oil and fish flesh blend into a harmonious, creamy taste experience. Once considered "poor man's food," sardines have become a coveted delicacy since the 1990s. Today, the artistically designed tins are collector's items, with rare vintages fetching prices of up to 100 euros. From traditional French producers to iconic Portuguese brands like Nuri, they represent artisanal perfection and the art of patience—a cultural treasure that shows how time can transform a simple canned product into an extraordinary culinary delight.

Are vintage sardines really the best canned sardines? Vintage sardines are selected for their quality! Not all sardines can end up as vintage sardines in a can, so what is the true definition of a vintage sardine? To receive the prestigious vintage sardine label, sardines must guarantee a certain fat content.

At the beginning of the year, we sat down with Try Foods to conduct a sardine tasting. Although we are actually constantly trying new sardines, such a tasting from time to time is always good to refresh knowledge and re-evaluate what has been stored. Individual preferences can change, and with vintage sardines, the maturation has progressed further ... And so we met in the sardine bar and bravely worked our way through eleven different varieties. What we were able to taste during this, you can find out here!

Yes, we are sardine lovers! Sardine lovers are people who love sardine cans – whether full or empty as a collector's item. Although we prefer the full ones. One of our favorite sardine brands comes from Matosinhos, about ten kilometers northwest of Porto on the Atlantic coast. This port city is home to Fábrica de Conservas Pinhais, the Pinhais cannery, which we had the opportunity to visit on our last trip to Porto. Here you will learn what makes Pinhais & Nuri so special. Enjoy!

Those who can't do, teach! This is a famous quote by Woody Allen that has already been discussed controversially many times. We would also like to respectfully disagree with the master and simply turn the quote around: those who can, teach!  And that is what we do in the context of our seminars on cheese, wine, sardines, and champagne, to which we cordially invite you! In a convivial small group, discover the different flavors and pairing possibilities of certain products, and take home not only background knowledge but above all a colorful bouquet of delightful impressions!

Ever heard of sardines in cultured butter? What do sardines in rapeseed oil with orange taste like? How do the vintage sardines from the 2011, 2013 and 2015 seasons differ? And does red wine actually pair well with sardines? These are exactly the questions that the 13 participants of our first sardine seminar, including self-proclaimed “sardine junkies,” an absolute newcomer and representatives of Berlin’s fine dining scene, explored during an enjoyable and delicious evening accompanied by sisters Anaïs and Noémie Causse. Here is a brief look back and overview.

Those who can't do, teach! That's a famous quote by Woody Allen, which many have already disputed. We can't let Mr. Allen get away with this either, so we're simply turning the quote around: those who can, teach! True to this motto, we want to start in January sharing our knowledge about wine, cheese, and sardines in our own seminars. But it certainly won't be like school! Instead, we invite a small group of no more than 12 participants to join us in getting to know the different flavors and pairing possibilities of certain products, tasting them, discovering them, and experiencing them. Of course, we'll also be happy to give you a little background information ...

In early October, we had the pleasure of traveling to Brittany to get to the bottom of the phenomenon of the year-round sardine. We visited the Conserverie Gonidec in Concarneau, from whom we source the excellent sardines "Les Mouettes d'Arvor". We were also allowed to go out on a sardine cutter and watch the real fishermen over their shoulder during their nightly endeavor ...

After a visit to our "fish department", it must be clear to everyone: we have a passion for sardines! Some may even call it a little obsession, but the adoration of this fish takes on completely different proportions in other countries! For example, in Lisbon: there, the Festa de Santo António is celebrated every year on June 12th. This is a holiday in honor of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of Lisbon, during which the whole city is on its feet and sardines are grilled and eaten around the clock in the brightly decorated streets. A true paradise for us … and it goes without saying that we absolutely wanted to be there this year!

Would you have thought that you could fall into a sardine frenzy? It is entirely possible. That is exactly what happened to us during a tasting when we actually only intended to try four new varieties from the brand "Les Mouettes d'Arvor" that we had recently added to our range. In the end, we opened and ate eleven different cans. We compared various preparations and countries. And discovered the hottest sardine on the market so far. If you don't want to test this variety for yourself, you can easily read here what we found out. Enjoy!