Encounters with Vermouth

My Dear Wormwood, ....

Sipping absinthe or vermouth prompts me to mimic Uncle Screwtape when addressing his inexperienced nephew as I've grown fond of wormwood and the other aromatized herbs found in these beverages. Whereas the Artemisia absinthium herb is expected in absinthe, it shouldn't surprise consumers of its prevalence in vermouth.  Consider that the term "vermouth" translates from English to German as wermut.  Technically, Vermouth is a fortified wine that is aromatized -- meaning herbs, barks, citrus, or other ingredients are added for aroma and flavor -- and fortified with additional alcohol. 

The Kingdom of Savoy was a historical state that existed from 1416 to 1861 and was located in the western Alps, in what is now part of France, Italy, and Switzerland. the southern French part of the empire includes the Chambery region whereas the Italy section including Turin. Interestingly vermouth can be traced to both of these regions. Carpano was the very first vermouth brand, dating back to 1786 in Turin, Italy. In France, Noilly Prat in Marseillan was a dry style of vermouth, founded in 1813 whereas Dolin’s Vermouth de Chambéry was first identified as a distinct style in 1821. 

In modern times, the European Union states that vermouth, as well as other aromatized wines, must include at least 75% wine in the finished product to which alcohol has been added (fortified) and have an ABV of 14.5–22%. In particular, vermouth is a product "whose characteristic taste has been obtained by the use of appropriate substances of Artemisia species".  See ANNEX II. 

Vermouth comes in a range of sweetness levels, from extra dry (limited to a maximum sugar content of 30 grams per liter in the E.U.) through the semi-sweet blanc/blanco/bianco style, to sweet (minimum sugar content of 130 grams per liter in the E.U.).   This later style is traditionally an ingredient to the classic Manhattan and Negroni. The blanc is traditionally used in Martinis whereas dry vermouth leads to a Dry Martini. All can be served over ice for those accustomed to a bitter and herbaceous profile.  

My first consistent encounter with Vermouth began during the BevFluence Negroni book campaign where David T. Smith and Keli Rivers published dozens of recipes.  Then came an Italian vacation consuming more Negronis and dry or sweet vermouth on ice with a twist of lime, as well as various Amaros. I was hooked. 

One of my favorites is from Uruguay in the Vermut Flores Rosé NV Canelones where Basta Spirit uses Tannat as a base augmented by 27 botanicals, including flowers such as hops, chamomile, rose, and elderberry. It is extremely aromatic, with plenty of herbaceousness and forest spiciness - very gin-like.

At a recent Spain's Great Match trade tasting I became infatuated with the Casals Vermouth - the first Vermouth made with ancestral Catalan white grape varietals, enhanced with 20 Mediterranean botanicals from Penedés, Spain. A fantastic sipping rum from Torres Distillery and available by the glass at Del Mar Restaurant at the District Wharf. 

At this event I was also able to reacquaint myself with the sherry inspired vermouth from Jerez and Gonzalez Byass. The La Copa Vermouth starts with an Oloroso Fino sherry base (100% Palomino) that is created by oxidative aging. The wine is fortified early, suppressing the flor yeast which typically protects against oxidation. This vermouth is aromatized with wormwood, various herbs, dried fruit, and spices. The sweeter La Copa Rojo Vermouth is an eight-year-old blend of 75% Palomino and 25% Pedro Ximénez with traditional botanicals including wormwood, cinnamon, orange peel, and nutmeg. 

Closer to home in Middleburg Virginia, Mt. Defiance Distillery produces an interesting Sweet Vermouth that I realized very quickly was too unique to use in a Negroni. This vermouth starts with botanicals and spices infused into their Mt. Defiance Apple Brandy that they say "extracts flavors from herbs we grow ourselves and spices from around the world. This flavored base is then blended with barrel-aged brandy, Vidal Blanc wine, local honey, and caramel syrup. Not a traditional recipe so serve over ice and enjoy.  

And finally, I recently received samples of two vermouths from one of the historic homelands of the beverage -- 9diDANTE. The Purgatorio Extra Dry Vermouth di Torino Superiore IGP and Inferno Rosso Vermouth di Torino Superiore IGP  are produced at the historic Dr. M. Montanaro Distillery in Piedmont. Collaborators Alex Ouziel and Mario Baralis are one of few producers in the Turin region to use 100% DOC Piedmontese wines, made entirely from native grapes -- Dolcetto/Cortese for the red Inferno and Arneis for the extra dry Purgatorio .  Each vermouth contains 27 botanicals with the major contributors aligning to Dante's classical interpretation of levels of the afterlife.  I enjoyed the Inferno chilled and the Purgatorio over ice with either a twist of lime or orange. Expect a longer post n mid-June with thoughts from Mr. Ouziel 

Tasting an Expanded Spirits Portfolio at Mt. Defiance Distillery

The Middleburg AVA is a popular destination in Virginia wine country and a couple years ago Mt. Defiance Cidery augmented the area wine offerings with craft cider. Soon afterwards the distillery section of the operation came online providing visitors an opportunity to sample classic spirits. And in past year Mt. Defiance Distillery has expanded their portfolio to now include three Rum offerings, Apple Brandy & Liqueur, Cassis, and Absinthe.

Because of the screwy Virginia ABC regulations, cider is sampled in Mt. Defiance's tasting room and the spirits nearer to the distillery. Visitors are allowed four one ounce pours of spirits per day. The distillery, like others in the Commonwealth, provide a range of cocktails so visitors aren't forced to sample neat. However, neat was my preference and so between two of us we chose the Amber Rum, Dark Rum, Apple Liqueur, Cassis, and Absinthe.

According to Distiller Peter Ahlf, previously the Amber and Dark rums were both aged for 6 - 8 months in small (15 gal) used rye barrels.  The difference is that Ahlf adds caramelized sugar to the Dark Rum just before bottling. Check your bottle label because Batch 12 was aged for 14 months in a 55 gallon used bourbon barrel and Batch 13 was a blend of 12 and previous methods. I don't know which version I sampled but the Dark Rum does have a pronounced honey-caramel profile when compared to the Amber - which is very smooth with a lighter honey accent. Both are very nice, but I preferred the lighter Amber style.

The Apple Liqueur is produced using a mash of sweet cider with crushed apples which is mixed with their Apple Brandy and additional sugar for sweetening. (The Brandy is produced by aging distilled hard cider and hen cutting to 80 proof). Thus, the liqueur is lower in alcohol at 50 proof / 25% alcohol and a bit on the sweeter side.

Cassis is a liqueur made from blackcurrants and Mt. Defiance's version is excellent. Ahlf says that his goal was to emphasize the liqueur's bright fruit flavor over sweetness and he succeeded. There's no syrupy or gritty sugar texture and the blackcurrant flavors are prevalent. Ahlf also mentioned that beet sugar worked much better than cane sugar as a sweetener. Interesting. 

The final spirit we sampled was the much anticipated Absinthe as Mt. Defiance utilizes the traditional brouilleur (water dripper) and sugar cube to prepare the spirit. They also use traditional ingredients such as Virginia grown Grand Wormwood, Lemon Balm and Hyssop; Aniseed from Andalucía, Spain; and Fennel Doux from Provence, France.  In general I'm not a great fan of Anise based spirits, but this Absinthe was rock solid - not overly liquorish - but relatively smooth. I was pleasantly surprised on this one.

To help navigate to Mt. Defiance or any of the Middleburg area wineries check out theCompass Winery, Brewery, Distillery Locator Mobile App. Cheers.

Virginia Cider Tasting at Corcoran Vineyards & Ciders

Yesterday several cider enthusiasts met at Loudoun County's Corcoran Vineyards & Cider in order to sample most of their cider portfolio as well as several ciders from across the Commonwealth. I also threw in a Maryland cider from Millstone Cellars that I thought our group would find interesting.  Jim Corcoran asked us to access the ciders not only in relation to each other but which styles would attract the broadest audience. In answering the last question, there was a general consensus that the off-dry Corcoran Sinful and Blue Bee Aragon 1904 were not only the group's favorite but would also have the largest appeal.  Both ciders shared a full apple profile with refreshing acidity.  As for the group, I was impressed by the diversity of styles and thought all the ciders enjoyable and worthy purchases. 

Blue Bee Cider Aragon 1904  - An off dry cider from a blend of modern and heirloom apples. Full of flavor, slightly tart - nice acids.

Castle Hill Cider Terrestrial - Lighter dry cider made from Winesap and Albermarle Pippen apples. Tart acids on the tail.

Courtesy of MyVineSpot

Corcoran Vineyards & Cider Sinful - Off dry, full of apple flavors, nice acids. 

Corcoran Vineyards & Cider PoPo Peach - The cider is fermented in barrels that previously housed peaches, imparting a very subtle peach character. This cider grew on me after subsequent sips.

Corcoran Vineyards & Cider Knot Head - A “secret” blend of seven locally grown apples aged a few weeks in Bourbon barrels. The smoothest of the ciders.

Corcoran Vineyards & Cider Hop n' Pop - Dry hopped hard cider that possesses a slight oily - yet very clean finish.

Foggy Ridge Cider Handmade - Dry cider made from predominately Newtown Pippin apples with some Gold Rush. Softer style.

Millstone Cellars Sidra Americana - Rustic Basque style cider made from Stayman Winesap and Jonathan apples fermented using native yeast and then oak aged sur lie in oak. Funky and sour - lactobacillus sour.

Mt. Defiance Cidery General's Reserve Hard Cider - The cider house's Farmhouse Style cider aged in an bourbon barrels. Very dry lighter profile with a touch of caramel.