Wine in ketchup? Only in Mattapoisett.

Wayne and Sherry Gibson, owners of the atypical South Coast Local Diner on Route 6, have spent nearly two years and $10,000 patenting their special Pinot Noir-infused condiment recipe. Now it’s time to market the product, dubbed "S&W Gibson Vintners Ketchup."

“At the end of the day, it feels great,” Sherry says. “Everything about it is organic, from the whole tomatoes to the spices to the wine. And it’s local too. People like that aspect.”

The idea for a special ketchup to accompany the diner’s signature plate—the SCL Burger—sparked when the Gibsons opened shop last spring.

“I love a good sauce,” Wayne says. “We needed something to go with the sweet, salty and savory flavor of the burger. What else but a good wine?”

Wayne, who has been in the culinary business for more than 30 years, says the process for making the ketchup is simple: Instead of throwing all of the ingredients together, each component is slowly cooked to its prime. He calls this “layering,” which brings out the most flavors.

And don’t worry: There’s no alcohol in it. Wayne says the cooking process breaks down the alcohol components while enhancing the flavor.

The Gibsons make the sauce at the Grange Kitchen in Dartmouth and always offer a dish with customers’ meals.

Although the dish has been served many times at the South Coast Local, it recently received a patent. The Gibsons say this took a long time, as the recipe had to undergo nutrition testing and an attorney had to come on board to choose the correct wording for the patent—a vague explanation wouldn’t protect the recipe.

“It’s been a long and costly process,” Sherry says. “There were a lot of things and people involved, from getting a label designed and printed to acquiring a national barcode.”

So far, their efforts are paying off. Nearly 200 bottles (at under $8 each) were sold over the holiday season in-store. Sherry says they’re looking to sell the product at farmer’s markets, grocery stores, restaurants and everywhere in between.

Having that local and organic aspect certainly is a big draw, she says. But the taste speaks for itself.

“Just like with any great wine, each person tastes something different,” Sherry says. “You get the tomatoes, the spice, the sweetness—it’s something people have never had before.”

But the ketchup isn’t just for burgers and fries. Sherry adds that people have substituted it for taco sauce and cocktail sauce.

“It’s developed a following,” she says. “We love hearing those stories.”

Wayne says he’s working on a few other recipes, including a blend of smoked onions, roasted tomatoes and chili peppers for “smoky” ketchup.

“You know how some people love to work on their old hot rods? That’s what we do,” Wayne says. “We’re ‘hot rodding’ our ketchup.”