German Vermouth is wine with wormwood
Vermouth from German producers is available at nur Gutes in white, rosé, or red, ranging from a Hamburg producer using Palatinate wine to one from the Kaiserstuhl using Pinot grapes. A tasting box showcases the three colors side by side.
Vermouth is an aromatized wine, made of at least 75% wine and flavored with ingredients derived from Artemisia species, such as wormwood. It has an alcohol content of at least 14.5% vol and less than 22% vol, and each producer decides for themselves whether to add sugar or additional alcohol.
Vermouth has relatives, from wine aperitifs to apple vermouth wine
In Turin in 1786, Antonio Benedetto Carpano combined wine with sugar, caramel, and around thirty herbs, which is why he is considered the inventor of modern vermouth. The name "Wermut" comes from the herb that provides its bitterness, and some producers spell it "Vermouth."
Under European law, vermouth, also called vermouth wine, belongs to the category of aromatized wines; in this family, it stands alongside the wine aperitif, which must be fortified with alcohol but does not require wormwood. Mulled wine and sangria are more distant relatives, aromatized wine-based beverages with at least half wine and lower alcohol content.
Jörg Geiger's "Wehmut," on the other hand, starts as apple wine, and wine in the legal sense is made exclusively from grapes. Under EU law, "Wehmut" therefore does not count as vermouth, especially since it remains below the minimum alcohol content at 13% vol. For fruit wine with wormwood, German guidelines for wine-like beverages require at least 12% vol without added water, and in the case of apples, it is called apple vermouth wine, as his company also calls it.
German vermouth from the Kaiserstuhl and Hamburg
Florian Faude is a trained winemaker and distiller in Bötzingen, and his vermouth from the Kaiserstuhl is our best-seller. The wine in it is fermented with residual sugar, meaning it retains some grape sweetness, and the finished vermouth has 16% vol alcohol. Among more than twelve spices, roots, and herbs, Faude specifically cites the wormwood herb by its botanical name, Artemisia absinthium.
In Hamburg, Markus Weiß and Olina Kladensky are the team behind Helmut Wermut, and the wine is supplied by the Bergdolt-Reif & Nett winery in the Palatinate, with a unique cuvée for each color. Fresh meadow herbs characterize the white vermouth, red bell pepper and sweet fig the rosé vermouth, and ripe blackberry and bay leaf the red vermouth. Both the white and red reach 17% vol, while the rosé reaches 18% vol.
Color and the occasion reveal which vermouth is right
At nur Gutes, every vermouth color corresponds to a specific wine, and those who know the color can already guess how it will taste. The white Helmut, based on Riesling and Müller-Thurgau, is light gold and mildly floral; the rosé, based on Pinot Noir, is garnet red and piquant; the red, based on Dornfelder, is almost black and dry. The vermouth from the Kaiserstuhl is based on Pinot varieties; it is dark reddish-brown and rounded with caramel syrup, both bitter and fruit-sweet at the same time.
The second clue is the time of day. Faude and Helmut suggest drinking their vermouth neat over ice, and Helmut additionally long with tonic water or ginger ale. To get to know them, white, rosé, and red are included as 50 ml miniature bottles in a tasting box. Larger sizes are available in 750 ml bottles, with the Kaiserstuhl version available in a one-liter bottle.
For selecting vermouth at nur Gutes, a single rule is therefore enough: the color reveals the underlying wine, and the occasion determines whether it is served neat or long.
Drink vermouth neat, long with tonic, or in a gin cocktail
For a Helmut Spritz, pour 5 cl of white vermouth and 5 to 10 cl of tonic water over ice and add a lemon zest. For the rosé, add fresh bell pepper to the glass, and for the red, top it up with ginger ale and add fresh mint. One miniature bottle from the tasting box is exactly enough for one glass, allowing the evening to begin with an aperitif before the first dish hits the table.
You can also use the Kaiserstuhl vermouth for a Spritz or an Americano cocktail. You can mix Helmut's "Dirty Pink Martinez" using 6 cl of rosé vermouth, 3 cl of gin, and a green olive.
According to the producer, an opened bottle of Helmut keeps for a year or longer, even unrefrigerated, although color and taste may change slightly over time. Store it upright, as a bar-top cork never provides an airtight seal. If you prefer to stay alcohol-free, you can find bitter drinks with wormwood in our non-alcoholic aperitifs.
White and rosé for summer, red for braised dishes
Summer evenings belong to the white and rosé from Helmut, served long over ice, and the rosé can also be topped up with sparkling wine. In winter, add a splash of red vermouth to braised beef or game, or pour it over a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.
The tasting box is ready for gifting, and our other aperitifs are waiting right next to it. If you cannot decide between the colors, pour all three and let the evening choose for you.
