While the French aren't particularly well-known for their sweet vermouth, they sure do produce some good stuff.
Like most French vermouth, their sweet red is notably less sweet than Italian vermouth and a bit brighter across the board on account of the use of mistelle as a sweetener. French sweet red vermouths are also generally less herbaceous than Italian sweet reds and less spicy than Spanish reds, with a stronger emphasis on fruit.
France consistently makes vermouths of exceptional quality. Noilly Prat Rouge is my favorite of the bunch, with its bright fruit and chocolate notes. For the same reason, Boissiere Sweet Vermouth cheats its way into the top of the pack. Routin Rouge is another well-balanced offering.
For a lighter, typical French style vermouth with an herbaceous backbone, I recommend Dolin Rouge. For something heavier and sweeter, I'd suggest La Quintinye Rouge.
If you're new to the world of vermouth, check out my Introduction to Vermouth post to learn some basics, introduce yourself to some of the terminology used, and get a general overview of how these guides are structured (and why). Then join me back here to get into the details!
Boissiere Sweet Vermouth
Origin: Italy (Formerly France)
Producer: Boissiere, distributed by Palm Bay International
ABV: 18%
Wine Base: N/A
Known Botanicals: at least 7, including wormwood, marjoram, chamomile, clove, coriander, and elderflower
Sugar: N/A
Nose: raisin, cinnamon, orange, lavender, strawberry, rose, chamomile, lemon, gentian, marjoram
Palate: wormwood, blackberry, dark cherry, clove, cinchona, lemon, orange
Finish: blackberry, grapefruit, clove, nutmeg, eucalyptus, wormwood, raisin
Additional Notes: Deep red color. Quinine heavy-bitterness. Originally distilled in the Chambery region since 1857 – production moved to Italy in 1971. Because of this, I've opted to include Boissiere in both my French and Italian guides.
Dolin Rouge
Origin: France
Producer: Dolin, distributed by Haus Alpenz
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: Ugni Blanc/Trebbiano
Known Botanicals: at least 50, including wormwood, hyssop, genepy, chamomile, cinchona bark, rose petals, rhubarb, curacao orange, and coriander
Sugar: 130 g/l
Nose: sea salt, oregano, gentian, lemon oil, sarsaparilla, clove, cinnamon, fig, tobacco
Palate: cinchona, cinnamon, lemon, nutmeg, wormwood, honeysuckle, vanilla, birch, oregano
Finish: vanilla, cinnamon, orange, wormwood, tobacco, cinchona, blackberry
Additional Notes: Dark copper color. Opens up nicely with dilution. There's a good balance here between herbaceous and confectionary.
La Quintinye Rouge Vermouth Royal
Origin: France
Producer: La Quintinye
ABV: 16.5%
Wine Base: Ugni Blanc/Trebbiano
Known Botanicals: 28 total, including wormwood, angelica, cinnamon, quassia amara, green cardamom, vine flower, licorice, iris root, bitter orange, nutmeg, and cinchona bark
Sugar: N/A
Nose: gentian, poppy, marigold, lemon, rose, coffee, cocoa, cinnamon, marzipan, prune
Palate: fig, chocolate, toffee, tobacco, caramel, oregano, butterscotch, gentian, almond, poppy, rose, licorice
Finish: toffee, fig, raisin, orange, vanilla, cinnamon, tobacco, cherry, juniper
Additional Notes: Auburn color. No added caramel. Fortified with Pineau des Charentes Rouge. Heavy mouthfeel. Sweet, confectionary, and floral.
Maurin Rouge
Origin: France
Producer: Maurin, distributed by Pacific Edge Wine & Spirits
ABV: 17%
Wine Base: N/A
Known Botanicals: 15 total, including wormwood
Sugar: N/A
Nose: gentian, lemon, cinchona, raspberry, orange, clove, tobacco
Palate: orange, cherry, raisin, cinnamon, green cardamom, clove, star anise, gentian
Finish: gentian, cinnamon, orange, nutmeg, vanilla, cranberry, green cardamom
Additional Notes: Rich ruby red color. Seemingly low sugar with a light body. Very good if not a little straightforward – not a ton of movement on the palate. Juicy and fruity.
Noilly Prat Ambre
Origin: France
Producer: Noilly Prat, distributed by Bacardi Limited
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: Picpoul, Clairette
Known Botanicals: at least 13, including wormwood, cardamom, cinnamon, lavender, vanilla, rose bud, coriander, and orange
Sugar: 168g
Nose: fig, raisin, prune, cinnamon, pomegranate, toffee
Palate: chocolate, cinnamon, burnt orange, raisin, vanilla, stewed fruit, cola
Finish: tobacco, vanilla, orange, caramel, toasted almond
Additional Notes: Amber color. Medium body. Not a traditional sweet vermouth, but significantly sweeter than the Noilly Prat Rouge. Heavy on the oxidized sherry notes. Recently lost distribution to the USA (2019). The US Noilly Prat website was updated in 2020 stating the Ambre is made with 13 botanicals, though previously it has been confirmed to contain at least 40. Awaiting confirmation to see if the Ambre was pulled and the recipe reconfigured for relaunch.
Noilly Prat Rouge (discontinued)
Origin: France
Producer: Noilly Prat, distributed by Bacardi Limited
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: Picpoul, Clairette
Known Botanicals: at least 25, including wormwood, chamomile, nutmeg, bitter orange, gentian, saffron, cocoa bean, clove, and cinchona
Sugar: 140 g/l
Nose: clove, licorice, fig, cinnamon, orange, raisin, vanilla, blackberry, gentian, cedar
Palate: cocoa, cherry, raspberry, cinnamon, cinchona, mint, honey, chamomile
Finish: nutmeg, vanilla, lemon, mint, cacao, black currant, apricot
Additional Notes: Ruby color. Full of red fruit and cacao start to finish. Formula discontinued and updated in 2020.
Noilly Prat Rouge (2020)
Origin: France
Producer: Noilly Prat, distributed by Bacardi Limited
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: Picpoul, Clairette
Known Botanicals: at least 29, including wormwood, chamomile, nutmeg, bitter orange, gentian, saffron, cocoa bean, clove, and cinchona
Sugar: 150 g/l
Nose: vanilla, raspberry, black tea, lemon, cinnamon, strawberry, cinchona, mint, pear
Palate: wormwood, lemon, raspberry, cinchona, mint, black currant, cherry, clove, apricot
Finish: wormwood, raspberry, straw, black tea, cranberry, lemon, black pepper, ginger, clove, cacao
Additional Notes: Ruby color. Full of red fruit and cacao start to finish. Current formula as of 2020.
Routin Rouge
Origin: France
Producer: Distillerie des Alpes
ABV: 16.9%
Wine Base: Cabernet Sauvignon, Jacquere
Known Botanicals: 24 total, including wormwood, coriander, clove, lavender, and vanilla beans
Sugar: 110 g/l
Nose: fig, raisin, orange, dates, cinnamon, millet, tarragon
Palate: black cherry, cinchona, lemon, cinnamon, date, cola, toffee
Finish: cinnamon, raisin, orange, fig, vanilla, cocoa, grapefruit, cinchona
Additional Notes: Red-tinted brown appearance. Chambery style vermouth. Technically a semi-sweet red vermouth rather than a sweet vermouth on account of sugar content. Medium-light body with a bright, cinchona and black cherry attack over plenty of cinnamon baking spice.
Notably missing: Guerin Rouge. Will accept donations of any missing vermouths.
Vermouth Guides
Check the individual regional Vermouth guides for more detailed information on regional styles and recommended bottles:
Dry Vermouth
Sweet White Vermouth
Sweet Red Vermouth
Quinquina and Americano
Please send updates and corrections to brian@corpserevived.com.
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