Vermouth

Vermouth is an aromatized wine that is fortified with alcohol and derives its flavor from wormwood and other herbs.

Vermouth is an aromatized wine that is fortified with alcohol and derives its aroma from wormwood and other herbs.

At its core, therefore, vermouth is wine, and by a large margin: At least three quarters of the drink must consist of wine and other vine products, as regulated by the EU. The rest is what makes it vermouth: herbs, spices, sugar, and some alcohol. It gets its name from a plant. The Duden dictionary describes vermouth primarily as an aromatic plant with bitter compounds, gray-green, feathery leaves, and small yellow flowers, and only secondarily as a wine aromatized with wormwood and other herbs, also called wormwood wine. Where the word itself comes from—Middle High German *wermuot*, Old High German *wer(i)muota*—remains unexplained to this day.

What is the difference between wine and vermouth?

Vermouth begins as wine and is then treated. The EU regulation on aromatized wine products draws clear boundaries. According to this, vermouth is an aromatized wine that has been fortified with alcohol and whose typical aroma comes from substances derived from plants of the genus *Artemisia*. It may be sweetened, colored, and supplemented with grape must. And it is stronger than you might think: the actual alcohol content is at least 14.5% vol and below 22% vol, with a total alcohol content of at least 17.5% vol.

The regulation also recognizes close relatives. A wine-based aperitif is likewise an aromatized wine to which alcohol has been added, only without the requirement for wormwood. It is the *Artemisia* that turns a wine-based aperitif into a vermouth. In the official recipes of the International Bartenders Association, by the way, it is called vermouth.

Helmut Wermut shows how this looks in practice. For each variety, the manufacturer prepares 25 ingredients by hand, peeling, cutting, grinding, or picking them. Herbs, spices, and fruits macerate in alcohol for at least five weeks before being carefully pressed or centrifuged. These extracts are created in Hamburg and married with the wine in the Palatinate region at the Bergdolt-Reif & Nett winery by Christian Nett in Duttweiler. The wines are as different as the varieties: the white is a cuvée of Riesling and Müller-Thurgau, the red is based on Dornfelder, and the rosé on Pinot Noir. Wormwood gives all three their characteristic, slightly bitter note.

On the label, the difference becomes a number. Helmut’s white and red vermouth have 17% vol, the rosé 18% vol. The vermouth from Faude has 16% vol, and its list of ingredients is as short as the definition: wine, sugar, herb extracts. That is a good litmus test for any bottle. If wine is the first ingredient and a herbal extract follows, you are holding a vermouth.

What is the difference between gin and vermouth?

Gin is a spirit; vermouth is wine. According to the EU spirit drinks regulation, gin is produced by aromatizing ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin with juniper berries. The juniper must be the predominant flavor, and the alcohol content must be at least 37.5% vol. Vermouth, on the other hand, remains below 22% vol and tastes like what it is: wine and herbs. One is high-proof and defined by juniper; the other is a wine that has absorbed herbs.

The two get along best in a glass. The International Bartenders Association lists the Dry Martini among its official recipes: 60 ml of gin and 10 ml of dry vermouth are placed in a mixing glass with ice cubes, stirred well, and strained into a chilled martini glass. You then squeeze the oil from a lemon peel over it or, if desired, add green olives. Six parts gin to one part vermouth, and yet it is the vermouth that turns the liquor into a drink.

The ratio is a matter of taste. Those who add more vermouth to the glass get a softer, more herbal drink; those who use less get a drier one. One spoonful more or less changes the entire martini, and that is precisely what makes it so personal.

Are vermouth and Martini the same thing?

Not quite, and the confusion has a history. Martini is first and foremost a name. The Turin-based firm was founded in 1863 as Martini, Sola e C.ia by Teofilo Sola and Alessandro Martini, along with the liqueur manufacturer Luigi Rossi. Production began in 1879 in Pessione di Chieri, and after Sola's death, the firm was called Martini & Rossi. Its products include vermouth, spumante, fernet, and bitters. Ordering a "martini" at a bar therefore results in either a glass of vermouth from that brand or the cocktail made of gin and vermouth.

The Turin history of vermouth begins earlier. According to the city museum MuseoTorino, Antonio Benedetto Carpano, who came from the area around Biella, invented his first vermouth in 1786 in a well-known, busy shop on the Piazza Castello. Vermouth is therefore older than the Martini brand, and it does not belong to any single brand.

You don't need much for an aperitif. A glass, a few ice cubes, white vermouth, and a lemon twist, plus a bowl of olives and a few salted almonds: that is how an evening begins before anyone has even started cooking. A slice of orange pairs well with the red, and a splash of soda works with the rosé on a warm day.

And because vermouth is essentially wine, it also has a place in the kitchen. A splash of white vermouth deglazes the rice for a risotto or gives a fish sauce a hint of herbs where a dry white wine might otherwise be used. The red goes well in a stew with plums. An opened bottle always finds a use, and the glass in the evening remains full regardless.

Vermouth from Helmut and Faude

The full selection can be found under Vermouth. From Helmut, there is the White Vermouth made from Riesling and Müller-Thurgau, the Red Vermouth based on Dornfelder, and the Rosé Vermouth based on Pinot Noir; for those looking to get acquainted, it is also available as a tasting box. In addition, there is the Vermouth from Faude feine Brände.

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