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Vermouth and aromatized wines - how they are made

Everyone who has drunk a Martini or a Negroni knows vermouth, but few know that it is actually a wine - and a wine of fascinating construction. Vermouth belongs to the family of aromatized wines: wines fortified with alcohol and seasoned with a blend of herbs, roots, barks and spices. Its name comes from wormwood (in German Wermut), the key herb that gives bitterness. It is a drink of centuries-old tradition, today going through a renaissance both in cocktails and sipped solo over ice as an aperitif. From dry, pale dry to sweet, red rosso, vermouth is a whole palette of flavours. Here is a guide to vermouth and aromatized wines: how they are made, how the styles differ, where their roots lie and how to drink them.

What an aromatized wine is

Aromatized wine is a separate category, alongside still, sparkling and fortified wines. It is wine that has been fortified with alcohol, sweetened and, crucially, seasoned with a blend of plant aromatics - herbs, roots, barks, flowers, spices and fruit peels. The most famous representative is vermouth, but the family also includes drinks such as americano or quinine-based quinquina (with added quinine, like Lillet). They are wines in which the grape is only a base, and the character is built by a whole botanical pharmacy. Understanding that an aromatized wine is a fortified wine seasoned with herbs is the starting point. It is wine meeting herbalism. It is a drink with a complex, spicy soul. We cover fortified wines in general more in port, sherry and madeira.

Where the name vermouth comes from

The name vermouth holds the secret of its flavour. It comes from the German word Wermut, meaning wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) - a bitter herb that for centuries was a key ingredient of aromatized wines. It is wormwood that gives vermouth its characteristic, slightly bitter note, which balances the sweetness. Although recipes today contain dozens of other botanicals, wormwood remains the heart of vermouth’s identity - without it the drink would not be vermouth. The name is thus a literal pointer to the most important herb. Understanding that vermouth takes its name from wormwood explains its bitter character. It is a herb written into the name. It is the bitter signature of the whole style. It is a trace of a centuries-old herbal tradition.

How vermouth is made

The production of vermouth is a four-step process. It begins with the base: a neutral, usually white still wine, which is the canvas for the rest. Then the wine is fortified with alcohol (usually a wine distillate), raising the strength to around 15-18 percent and improving its durability. The third step is aromatization: the wine is macerated or combined with an infusion of a blend of botanicals - wormwood, cinchona bark, roots, flowers, spices, citrus peels, sometimes dozens of ingredients according to a secret recipe. Finally the vermouth is sweetened (with sugar or caramel) and often coloured. The result is a wine of complex, herbal-spicy, bitter-sweet profile. Understanding these four steps - base, fortification, aromatization, sweetening - reveals the anatomy of vermouth. It is a wine built in layers. It is a craft at the meeting of winemaking and herbalism.

A table: styles of vermouth

Let us gather the main styles in one place:

The table shows the main styles of vermouth, from dry to sweet rosso. They differ in sweetness, colour and character of aromatics.

Dry versus rosso

The two most important styles of vermouth are dry and rosso. Dry vermouth, associated with France (like Noilly Prat), is pale, light, dry and clearly herbal, low in sweetness - the classic ingredient of a dry Martini. Rosso vermouth (red, sweet), associated with Italy (like Carpano or Martini Rosso), is dark, sweet, rich and spicy, with notes of caramel, vanilla, bitter herbs and spices - the heart of the Negroni and the Manhattan. Despite the name, the red colour usually comes from caramel, not from red wine. These two styles mark the poles of the world of vermouth. Understanding the difference between dry and rosso is the key to choosing. They are two faces of one drink. It is French dryness versus Italian sweetness.

Roots in Turin

Vermouth has a specific cradle: Turin in Italy. It was there at the end of the eighteenth century that modern vermouth was born - its creator is held to be Antonio Benedetto Carpano, who in 1786 created the first commercial recipe. The Piedmont region around Turin had access to good wine and Alpine herbs, which created ideal conditions. Vermouth quickly became a fashionable aperitif of the Italian and French elites, and then spread around the world. In time two great schools developed: the Italian (sweet) and the French (dry). Understanding that vermouth was born in Turin at the end of the eighteenth century places it in history. It is a Piedmontese invention. It is a drink with a specific place and date of birth.

Other aromatized wines

Vermouth is the most famous, but not the only member of the family. Related are the quinine wines (quinquina), aromatized with cinchona bark that gives a characteristic bitterness - the famous French Lillet belongs to them. Americano (or americano-aperitivo) is an aromatized wine with a note of bitterness and herbs, the base of classic aperitifs. There are also regional specialities and herbal wines of local recipes. All are united by the same idea: wine fortified and seasoned with botanicals. Vermouth is simply the most widespread. Understanding that the family of aromatized wines is broader than vermouth alone broadens the picture of the category. It is a whole world of herbal wines. It is a richness beyond the best-known representative. We cover the styles of sherry, a relative in the world of fortified wines, more in sherry styles.

How to drink vermouth

Vermouth is drunk two ways. First, solo as an aperitif - chilled, over ice with a slice of lemon or orange, sometimes with a splash of soda water. It is a popular way in Spain and Italy, where vermouth is a pre-dinner ritual. Second, in cocktails, where vermouth is indispensable: dry in a Martini, rosso in a Manhattan and a Negroni, in countless classics. The dry suits olives and salty snacks, the sweet suits nuts and cheeses. Vermouth is a versatile, aperitif drink. Understanding that vermouth is drunk solo and in cocktails opens its practical uses. It is a wine for the start of the evening. It is an ingredient and a drink in one.

Durability after opening

An important practical note: vermouth is a wine, so it oxidises after opening. It is a common mistake to treat it like a spirit and keep it for months in the cabinet at room temperature. Meanwhile open vermouth, though fortified, gradually loses its freshness and aromas. It is best kept in the fridge and used within a few weeks to, at most, a couple of months. Otherwise it goes stale and flat, losing the liveliness of the herbs. That is why old, forgotten vermouth from the cabinet often tastes flat. Understanding that vermouth spoils like wine, not lasts like vodka, protects against disappointment. It is a drink for the fridge, not for forgetting. It is a wine that demands freshness.

The essentials in brief

Let us gather it up. Vermouth is an aromatized wine: wine fortified with alcohol, sweetened and seasoned with a blend of botanicals, with wormwood at the fore (hence the name, from the German Wermut). It is made in four steps: a wine base, fortification, aromatization with herbs and sweetening. The main styles are dry, pale dry (French, for a Martini) and sweet, red rosso (Italian, for a Negroni and a Manhattan). Vermouth was born in Turin at the end of the eighteenth century (Carpano 1786). The family of aromatized wines also includes quinine wines like Lillet. It is drunk solo over ice as an aperitif or in cocktails. Note: it is a wine, so after opening keep it in the fridge and use it within a few weeks. Now you know how vermouth is made.

Note every vermouth in GustoNote - including its style and the notes of herbs and spices you sense. In time you will recognise the difference between dry and sweet rosso yourself.