Aromatised Wines: (Vermouth, Bitters)

AROMATISED WINES
( VERMOUTH, BITTERS)
WHAT ARE AROMATISED WINES?
 Aromatized wines are fourth in the classification
of wines, the others being Still, Sparkling and
Fortified.
 It is a fortified wine in which herbs, roots, flowers,
barks and other flavoring agents have been
steeped in to change the natural flavor of the wine.
 They include both dry (French origin) and sweet
(Italian origin) Vermouths and other aperitif wines
like Dubonnet, Byrrh, Lillet, Punt E Mes,
 St Raphael from other countries.
 The word Aperitif is derived from the Latin word
“Aperio”, meaning “to open”. They are supposed
to “open”………whet the appetite pleasantly.
VERMOUTH
 Vermouth is an aromatised wine which has
been fortified.
 The term “vermouth” is derived from the
German ‘wurmuth’, meaning wormwood.
 In 1786, Benedetto Carpano of Turin, was
the first to offer it as an social drink.
 Italian vermouth is sweet and red ,and the
French vermouth is dry and white.
However, both styles are made in both
countries today.
INGREDIENTS IN VERMOUTH MAKING
There are upto 50 ingredients used in vermouth
making. The recipe is secret and closely guarded.
 Flavouring agents: the main flavor comes from the
flowers of the wormwood shrub. Other flavors
include spices, hyssop, coriander, cloves,
camomile, quinine and juniper.
 Wine: a placid, 2 or 3 year old, high strength wine
is used. The French tent to rely on the Midi wines.
 Sweetener: this is either sugar syrup or mistelle
(grape juice muted with brandy)
 Spirit: the spirit is usually neutral brandy.
MAKING VERMOUTH
The flavoring agents are steeped or infused in
the spirit. The flavored spirit is added to the
sweetened wine. The liquid is fined to free
it from any haze-forming substances. It is
refrigerated so that any remaining tartrates
crystallize and drop to the bottom of the vat.
Finally it is pasteurized to stabilize and
sterilize the wine and to keep it healthy and
bright..
Vermouth gets a short resting period and is
meant and made to be drunk young.
STYLES OF VERMOUTH
 Dry Vermouth: Often called French vermouth, this
has a base of dry white wine and is light yellow
with green tinges in color.
 Also used in the kitchen to flavor fish dishes.
 It is served with ice and lemon and sometimes
with a splash of soda. Also a prime ingredient for
the famous Dry Martini cocktail.
 According to French law,vermouth must have
atleast 80% wine and 10% alcoholic strength.
Sugar may be added to get the degree of mildness
desired.
 Wines for French vermouth are produced in Midi
in the department of the Herault. They are light,
thin and rather characterless known as clairettes.
 Sweet vermouth or Bianco : this is made
from a dry white wine which is flavored,
fortified and sweetened with mistelle.
 Rose vermouth : this also has a white wine
base. A little of the sweetener is added to
the wine and it is flavored and fortified and
then colored pink with the addition of
caramel.
 Chambery :A light and very delicate
vermouth made in the Savoi mountains in
France , is flavored with Alpine herbs and is
the only vermouth produced in France with
an AOC status.
•Red Vermouth
 Often called the Italian Vermouth or ’It’, it is made
from a white wine base which is well sweetened,
flavored and fortified. The reddish brown color
comes from the addition of caramel.The law in
Italy states that the wines used in vermouth
making should be alteast a year old. It takes
another year between the infusing and the final
filtering, so it takes approximately 2 years to
produce an Italian vermouth.There are 2 distinct
types of Italian Vermouth: the sweet aperitif type
and the drier cocktail type used in USA for
cocktails.
 Chamberyzette: A vermouth flavored with
wild Alpine strawberries.
 Punt e Mes: Made by Carpano in Turin, the
name originated in 1876. A broker from the
stock exchange came to the Carpano’s shop
and asked for his vermouth to have ‘point
and a half of bitterness added’. The name
stuck on. The drink has an acquired taste as
it is heavily flavored with quinine and has a
pronounced contrasts of bitterness and
sweetness. It has the color of iodine.
POPULAR BRANDS OF VERMOUTH
 DRY: Chambery,Cinzano, Martini,

Noilly Prat, Torella
 BITTER SWEET: Punt e Mes
 SWEET: Cinzano Bianco,Cinzano Red,
Martini Bianco, Martini Rose, Martini
Rosso and Noilly Prat.
OTHER AROMATISED WINES
 Dubonnet :
Made in Thuir in South-west France, it was
invented by Joseph Dubonnet, who created
this drink to be used as tonic. It has a wine
base flavored with quinine and bitter herbs
with additions of mistelle and spirit. This
popular aperitif may be blonde (white) or
rouge (red).
•St Raphael:
This bitter sweet drink from France is
flavored with herbs and quinine. It may be
red and sweet or white and less sweet, or
there is also an extra dry style. St Raphael,
is a type of ‘Ratafia’, the ‘goodwill’ drink
offered when a legal document or contract
was signed, agreed or ratified.
 Lillet:
It is made from white Bordeaux wine, herbs
and fruit peel and fortified with Armagnac
brandy.
•Suze:
Suze is a bright yellow French aperitif
flavored with gentian and herbs. It is bitter
in flavor with supposedly digestive
properties.
 Pineau Des Charentes:
It is an popular aperitif from Cognac area.
Pineau is an heady mix of Cognac and
grape juice in the ratio of 3 to 1.
Accidentally produced almost 400 years
ago, it may be white or rose in color. Both
the grape juice and Cognac should be from
the same vineyard.
Pineau should be aged for 2 years and have an
alcoholic strength between 16% to 22%.
It may be drunk neat or with ice and is mixed
with orange juice, white wine or tonic
water. It may be had before or after dinner.

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AROMATISED WINES

 DRY: Chambery,Cinzano, Martini,

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