![]() Semi-dry: between 50 and less than 90 grams of sugar per litre. Vermouth styles are determined by their sugar levels:Įxtra-dry: less than 30 grams of sugar per litre and a minimum of 15% alc./vol.ĭry: less than 50 grams of sugar per litre and a minimum of 16% alc./vol. Vermouths are still categorised into dry and sweet varieties (with the medium sweet Bianco creeping into the mix round the 1960s). Italian vermouth has a broader range of styles (Cinzano and Martini are by far the best known) with production centred around Turin. It is fair to generalise that French vermouth tends to be aged in oak casks and usually have a spicy aroma (well known names include Noilly Prat and Chambéry). They also found that if the oak barrels were left out in the open, exposed to the weather and atmospheric changes, then the ageing process would be accelerated. Some French vermouth producers discovered that ageing their wine in oak after fortification improved the vermouth considerably. Although red vermouth was initially based on red wine, now virtually all is made from white wine with caramel added to give an amber-red colour. The truth is that the division between the styles of the two production areas was never that defined and producers in both countries now produce both sweet and dry styles. Hence, many old cocktail books refer to 'French' for dry vermouth and 'Italian' where sweet vermouth is called for. The two production areas in the ancient kingdom of Savoy (see history below) generated different styles of vermouth, and popular belief has it that Italian vermouth was originally sweet and produced from red wine, while French vermouth, which was typically dry white, followed later. Styles of vermouthīesides the difference between sweet and dry martinis, the obvious variation in vermouth styles depends on the quality of wine used, and the combination of the botanicals. ![]() They are also not particularly acidic - in fact vermouths are often less acidic than average table wine. While defining exactly what a vermouth is (or isn't) it is worth stating that vermouths are not required to be (and usually aren't) 'vin cuit' (cooked wines). When it's deconstructed, the word 'wermut' itself translates as Wer (man) and Mut (courage) - 'man courage' -befitting if you think about it. It is also used for anything from insect repellents, antiseptics, digestives, and even to clear worms from patients - hence the name. To quote Giuseppe Gallo, when he was the Martini Vermouth Global Brand Ambassador, "a vermouth without wormwood is like a limoncello without lemon." Wormwood is a bitter plant from the Artemisia genus. Have a minimum alcohol strength of 14.5% and a maximum of 22% alc./vol. At least 75% of the finished product must be wine made according to EU wine legislationģ. Must be flavoured with at least one herb from Artemisia wormwood family- although the species and quantity is not specified.Ģ. Vermouth is a staple cocktail ingredient, appearing in a huge percentage of both classic and contemporary libations.Īny product based on wines fortified by the addition of alcohol spirit and flavoured with herbs and spices is an aromatised wine but according to the European Economic Community (regulation 1601/91 and subsequent amendments including 251/2014) there are three main requirements that differentiate vermouth from other aromatised wines:ġ. It is distinguished from other aromatised wines due to its being flavoured with Artemisia absinthium (absinthe wormwood). Vermouth is a fortified wine, part of the 'aromatised' wine family, flavoured with aromatic herbs and spices.
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