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History, Alchemy, and the Origin of Wormwood
Vermouth is much more than a simple pre-dinner drink; it is a compendium of medicinal history and botanical alchemy that has experienced an unprecedented renaissance over the last decade. Its name derives from the German wermut, meaning wormwood, the bitter plant that forms the backbone of its flavor and which, since the days of the Greek physician Hippocrates, was used for its digestive properties. In our cellar, we view vermouth as the perfect bridge between the world of wine and that of botany, a preparation where the quality of the base wine is just as crucial as the selection of herbs used to aromatize it.
The Art of Maceration and Botanical Secrets
The production process is a balancing act that begins with a quality white wine, generally from neutral varieties like Airén or Macabeo, which serves as a blank canvas. To this wine, a fortifying wine spirit is added, in which dozens of botanicals—roots, barks, flowers, spices, and fruits—have been previously macerated. Although wormwood is mandatory, the complexity arises from the combination of elements such as dittany of Crete, Ceylon cinnamon, bitter orange peel, cardamom, cloves, vanilla, or rhubarb. Each producer keeps their “herb” recipe under lock and key, like an alchemical secret passed down through generations.
Main Styles and the Service Ritual
There are primarily two styles that define this category: Red Vermouth (or sweet), of Italian origin, which owes its color to caramel or burnt sugar and offers notes of sweet spices with a bitter finish; and White Vermouth, of French tradition, which tends to be drier, floral, and citrusy. In our selection, we also highlight barrel-aged vermouths, where contact with oak rounds out the alcohol and creates a mature, velvety drink. Enjoying a vermouth means reclaiming the “aperitif hour” as a sacred social ritual, always served cold, with a slice of citrus, and optionally, a splash of soda from a siphon.