The one and only comprehensive tasting guide to Sweet Red (Rosso, Rouge, Rojo) Vermouth.
Check the individual regional Sweet Red Vermouth guides for more detailed information on regional styles and recommended bottles:
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!
Alessio Rosso
Origin: Italy
Producer: Tempus Fugit
ABV: 17%
Wine Base: Moscato D'Asti, Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc
Known Botanicals: at least 27, including both grande and petite wormwood, and cardamom
Sugar: N/A
Nose: fig, cinnamon, menthol, berry jam, oregano, mint, wormwood, licorice root
Palate: wormwood, licorice, plum, apricot, peach, cherry, lemon oil, clove, nutmeg
Finish: wormwood, blackberry, raspberry, charcoal, nutmeg, sarsaparilla, espresso, dark chocolate
Additional Notes: Nut brown color. Nice oily texture. A fair amount of sugar – sticky but not overly sweet due to an almost amaro-like bitterness.
Antica Torino Rosso
Origin: Italy
Producer: Antica Torino
ABV: 18%
Wine Base: Bombino, Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc, Freisa, Moscato D'Asti
Known Botanicals: 13 total, including gentian, wormwood, rosemary, bay laurel, red thyme, oregano, rhubarb, vanilla bean, ginger, and grapefruit peel
Sugar: 180 g/l
Nose: rhubarb, marzipan, gentian, vanilla, peanut, pine, mint, wormwood, clove, licorice
Palate: vanilla, wormwood, gentian, lemon, rhubarb, cinnamon, white pepper, cinchona, orange
Finish: vanilla, wormwood, gentian, peanut, orange, nutmeg, rhubarb, cinnamon
Additional Notes: Amber color. Nutty, dusty, and root-like.
Atxa Rojo
Origin: Spain
Producer: Destilerias Acha, Distributed by De Maison Selections
ABV: 15%
Wine Grapes: Airen
Known Botanicals: at least 6, including wormwood, gentian, licorice, and cherry
Sugar: N/A
Nose: vanilla, coriander, sea salt, oregano, cherry, orange, clove, bubblegum, cinnamon
Palate: vanilla, cinnamon, wormwood, cherry, orange, licorice, fig, marjoram
Finish: vanilla, wormwood, cinnamon, cherry, clove, orange, nutmeg
Additional Notes: Amber color. Dilution brings out bitter, herbaceous notes.
Barbadillo Ataman Vermut
Origin: Spain
Producer: Bodegas Barbadillo
ABV: 17%
Wine Base: Palomino Fino
Known Botanicals: at least 5, wormwood, cinnamon, bitter orange, elderberry, rosemary
Sugar: 140 g/l
Nose: vanilla, cinnamon, apple cider, cacao, cinchona, roasted peanut, cherry, nutmeg, musty
Palate: wormwood, cinchona, vanilla, orange, lemon, cinnamon, black cherry, cacao, tobacco, acidic
Finish: wormwood, cinchona, vanilla, cacao, coffee, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, black cherry
Additional Notes: Red tinted mahogany color. Medium-light body with an oily salinity. Bitter and acidic. A prominent quinine bite makes for a vermouth which almost straddles the line into quinquina. An amazing vermouth.
Becquer Vermouth de Granacha Gran Reserva
Origin: Spain
Producer: Bodegas Escudero
ABV: 17%
Wine Base: Garnacha
Known Botanicals: at least 40, including wormwood, thyme, and rosemary
Sugar: N/A
Nose: tamarind, pomegranate, clove, bell pepper, clove, chili, grape, brine, Worcestershire, calamansi
Palate: tomato, cinchona, orange, tamarind, cinnamon, balsamic vinegar, lemon, cacao, fig
Finish: tomato, clove, cinnamon, sandalwood, rhubarb, plum, raisin, calamansi
Additional Notes: Deep red-brown color with a medium-light body. The wine is aged for 24 months in American and French barrels, followed by an additional 5 years in a tank. A juicy, umami bomb.
Berto Ross da Travaj
Origin: Italy
Producer: Carlo Quaglia, distributed by Kermit Lynch
ABV: 17%
Wine Base: Arneis, Cortese, Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc, Barbera d’Asti
Known Botanicals: at least 16: wormwood, bitter orange, gentian, cardamom, vanilla, coriander, mint, mace, hops, thyme, marjoram, lemon, cinnamon, clove, rhubarb, angelica
Sugar: 200 g/l
Nose: marzipan, gentian, anise, wormwood, cinnamon, rhubarb, toasted oat
Palate: cinnamon, vanilla, wormwood, tobacco, orange, lemon, caramel, black cardamom, black cherry
Finish: wormwood, tobacco, lemon, cinnamon, ash, rhubarb, black cherry, thyme
Additional Notes: Light brown/amber. Medium body with a pleasant lingering bitterness. Doesn't sit as heavy on the palate as some other Italian sweet vermouths with comparable amounts of sugar.
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. Originally distilled in the Chambery region since 1857 – production moved to Italy in 1971. Quinine heavy-bitterness.
Bordiga Excelsior Riserva Superiore
Origin: Italy
Producer: Bordiga, distributed by Oliver McCrum Wines
ABV: 18%
Wine Base: Nebbiolo
Known Botanicals: wormwood
Sugar: N/A
Nose: gentian, marzipan, raspberry, orange, anise, tarragon, raisin, cinnamon
Palate: mint, apple, cinnamon, orange, juniper, fennel, lavender, green cardamom
Finish: juniper, orange, gentian, lemon, fennel, cinnamon, green cardamom, cola, apple
Additional Notes: Deep ruby red. Barrel aged for three years. Medium body. One of those exceptionally rare vermouths made from a red wine base. Bordiga's signature juniper note brightens an already tannic palate.
Bordiga Rosso
Origin: Italy
Producer: Bordiga, distributed by Oliver McCrum Wines
ABV: 18%
Wine Base: Moscato, Nebbiolo
Known Botanicals: at least 30, including wormwood, coriander, lime, fennel seed, juniper, cinchona, marjoram, salvia, cardamom, vanilla, nutmeg, gentian root, gentian flowers, tonka beans, anise, mint, sweet orange, grapefruit, and lemon
Sugar: 170 g/l
Nose: gentian, marzipan, raspberry, orange, anise, tarragon, raisin, cinnamon
Palate: mint, apple, cinnamon, orange, juniper, fennel, lavender, green cardamom
Finish: juniper, orange, gentian, lemon, fennel, cinnamon, green cardamom, cola, apple
Additional Notes: Light amber color. Medicinal, herbal, and slightly confectionary with lots of bitter orange. Dilution brings out heavy apple and cinnamon notes.
Carpano Antica Formula
Origin: Italy
Producer: Carpano
ABV: 16.5%
Wine Base: N/A
Known Botanicals: at least 3: wormwood, saffron, vanilla
Sugar: 194 g/l
Nose: vanilla, raisin, clove, spicy citrus, licorice, root beer, honey, star anise, birch
Palate: wormwood, vanilla, cocoa, bitter orange, coffee, cinnamon, clove, almond
Finish: bitter orange, cocoa, sage, thyme, vanilla
Additional Notes: Light brown/amber. A rich, full-bodied vanilla-heavy offering and one of the few vermouths on the market designated "vermouth alla vaniglia". The original recipe was made using Moscato wine as the base. Still, the language used by Carpano implies an emulation on the original recipe than a strict 1:1 recreation, so I can't confirm this to be the case still. Fantastic on its own, but a bully in cocktails as it tends to overpower and impart its characteristic vanilla profile to everything it touches.
Casa Mariol Vermut Negre
Origin: Spain
Producer: Casa Mariol
ABV: 15%
Wine Base: Macabeu
Known Botanicals: at least 2 – wormwood and green walnuts
Sugar: N/A
Nose: banana, strawberry, cola, sarsaparilla, date, oregano, apple, clove, cinnamon, caramel, black cherry
Palate: cinnamon, vanilla, cherry, nutmeg, wormwood, birch, cola, peach, lemon, cocoa, pear
Finish: vanilla, cinchona, cinnamon, nutmeg, pear, dark chocolate, nectarine, peach
Additional Notes: Mahogany tinted brown. Solera aged. Light bodied. Dilution brings out a lot of stone fruit. Tastes like pie.
Cinzano Rosso
Origin: Italy
Producer: Cinzano, distributed by Campari Group
ABV: 15%
Wine Base: N/A
Known Botanicals: 35 total, including wormwood, marjoram, thyme, musk yarrow, nutmeg, coriander, juniper, orange peel, and clove
Sugar: 140 g/l
Nose: cinnamon, vanilla, menthol, eucalyptus, black cherry, cola, clove, orange, gentian, oregano
Palate: cola, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, plum, raspberry jam, nutmeg, wormwood, currant
Finish: wormwood, black cherry, cola, nutmeg, gentian, lemon oil, orange oil
Additional Notes: Mahogany appearance. A cola bomb with lingering wormwood. Dilution brings out the baking spice and tempers the bitter notes.
Cinzano 1757 Rosso
Origin: Italy
Producer: Cinzano, distributed by Campari Group
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: N/A
Known Botanicals: wormwood
Sugar: N/A
Nose: sage, honey, oregano, vanilla, cinnamon, licorice, eucalyptus, clove, thyme, coriander, wormwood, juniper
Palate: wormwood, vanilla, gentian, cinnamon, cola, licorice, black cherry, menthol, dark chocolate, tobacco
Finish: wormwood, vanilla, cinnamon, cola, nutmeg, gentian, menthol, grapefruit peel, over-steeped black tea
Additional Notes: Deep reddish-brown. Wildly different from the standard Cinzano Rosso. Bitter and more herbaceous all the way around, though the cola finish is reminiscent of Cinzano Rosso. Dilution brings the confectionary notes out.
Cocchi Dopo Teatro
Origin: Italy
Producer: Cocchi
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: Moscato D'Asti, Barolo Chinato
Known Botanicals: at least 5, wormwood, rhubarb, chiretta flower, cinchona, quassia
Sugar: 220 g/l
Nose: marzipan, cherry, fig, sandalwood, raisin, strawberry, sage, black pepper, coffee
Palate: cherry, wormwood, gentian, fig, coffee, cacao, raisin, sage, black pepper, stewed berries
Finish: gentian, wormwood, cacao, black cherry, lemon, mint, orange, white pepper, marzipan, cinchona
Additional Notes: Rich amber color. Vermouth di Torino. Velvety mouthfeel and texture. A vermouth amaro, most similar to Punt e Mes in terms of outright bitterness. The addition of Barolo Chinato brings balance a distinct winey-ness to the palate which is often lost in the heavy botanicals and sugar of Italian sweet red vermouth.
Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
Origin: Italy
Producer: Cocchi
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: Moscato D'Asti
Known Botanicals: at least 15: wormwood, cinchona bark, rhubarb, orange peel, gentian, star anise, yarrow, rose petal, juniper, quassia, nutmeg, coriander, sandalwood, musk, myrrh
Sugar: 200 g/l
Nose: vanilla, cinnamon, banana, birch, oregano, strawberry, cocoa, lemon, gentian
Palate: chocolate, fennel, vanilla, wormwood, cinnamon, banana, clove, strawberry, gentian, rootbeer, cream
Finish: vanilla, clove, cinnamon, tobacco, cherry, wormwood, juniper, lemon
Additional Notes: Light auburn color. Vermouth di Torino (duh). One of the best and most versatile vermouths ever produced. The constantly moving palate is rooted in cacao notes.
Contratto Rosso
Origin: Italy
Producer: Contratto
ABV: 17%
Wine Base: Cortese
Known Botanicals: 31 total, including wormwood, coriander seeds, bay laurel, yellow sweet clover, cinnamon, angelica root, nutmeg, bitter orange peel, carob tree pods, pimento seeds, rhubarb root, sage, cinchona bark, lemon peel, sweet orange peel, licorice root, and sandalwood
Sugar: 180 g/l
Nose: gentian, black cherry, cola, nutmeg, bark, coriander, oregano, cinnamon
Palate: white pepper, spearmint, carob, gentian, lemon, ruby grapefruit, lingonberry, eucalyptus
Finish: white pepper, gentian, grapefruit, orange, wormwood, blackberry
Additional Notes: Red-brown appearance. Pleasant body. Bitter and herbal. A perfectly balanced, distinctly Italian expression.
Del Professore Rosso
Origin: Italy
Producer: Del Professore
ABV: 18%
Wine Base: Muscato
Known Botanicals: 13 total, including wormwood
Sugar: N/A
Nose: marzipan, gentian, lemon, vanilla, thyme, honey, wormwood, peanut
Palate: honey, lemon, cinnamon, vanilla, wormwood, bark, fig, orange, black tea, cherry
Finish: honey, wormwood, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange, black pepper, vanilla, peach, black tea
Additional Notes: Brown/red color. Heavy and sweet – very herbal and medicinal.
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.
El Bandarra Rojo
Origin: Spain
Producer: El Bandarra
ABV: 15%
Wine Base: 50% Macabeo, 50% Xarello
Known Botanicals: at least 50, including wormwood, clove, cinnamon, and bitter orange
Sugar: N/A
Nose: lavender, cherry, lemon, cinchona, raspberry, plum, mint, fig
Palate: wormwood, plum, cherry, lemon, cinchona, rose, cedar, chamomile, blueberry, Chinese rhubarb
Finish: wormwood, plum, cherry, cinchona, mint, lavender, rose, anise, blueberry, cacao
Additional Notes: Deep reddish-brown color. Dry and drying with a medium-light body. Exceptionally floral. Plum and lavender through and through. Works very well in cocktails but seems to have a particular affinity for rum.
Florentino Rosso
Origin: Italy
Producer: Giacome Sperone I.VI.S. Spa
ABV: 18%
Wine Base: N/A
Known Botanicals: wormwood
Sugar: N/A
Nose: cumin, cinnamon, vanilla, licorice, orange, rhubarb, gentian, cherry, almond
Palate: orange, cinchona, wormwood, cinnamon, vanilla, marjoram, cherry, gentian
Finish: clove, cacao, wormwood, vanilla, cinchona, orange, cinnamon
Additional Notes: Light red-brown color. Wonderfully bitter and confectionary. Medium body. Dilution brings more acidity, cutting the baking spices and bolstering the bitterness. Prominent cinchona.
Foro Rosso
Origin: Italy
Producer: Foro
ABV: 16.5%
Wine Base: Moscato, Inzolia
Known Botanicals: at least 11, Roman wormwood, orange peel, saffron, aloe vera, cinnamon, balsam, myrrh, cornflower, mace, rhubarb, sandalwood
Sugar: N/A
Nose: bubblegum, strawberry, banana, vanilla, ginger, allspice, mint, clove, cinchona, licorice
Palate: orange, wormwood, cinchona, clove, strawberry, banana, allspice, cinnamon
Finish: cinchona, cacao, lemon, clove, orange, mint, gentian, cedar, thyme
Additional Notes: Garnet color with amber highlights. Vermouth di Torino. Dilution turns it into a bittered Coca Cola. Lots of cinnamon, clove, and vanilla with a strawberry/banana bubblegum note from nose to finish.
Fred Jerbis Vermut
Origin: Italy
Producer: Fred Jerbis
ABV: 18%
Wine Base: Verduzzo del Collio
Known Botanicals: 25 total, three different varieties of wormwood, two different varieties of orange, angelica, gentian, cinchona bark
Sugar: N/A
Nose: cinchona, marzipan, green apple, gentian, licorice, bar leaf, orange, raisin, cinnamon, clove, gingerbread, vanilla, mint
Palate: black cherry, gentian, cinchona, angelica, cinnamon, vanilla, pear, green cardamom
Finish: gentian, lemon, raisin, cedar, star anise, pear, black pepper, green cardamom, wormwood, juniper
Additional Notes: Red tinted cola brown, Minimal sediment in the bottle as a result of high quality macerations and minimal processing.
Gallo Sweet Vermouth
Origin: USA
Producer: E&J Gallo
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: N/A
Known Botanicals: N/A
Sugar: 135 g/l
Nose: cherry, menthol, caramel, prune
Palate: raisin, gentian, grapefruit, menthol, cinchona, cinnamon, nutmeg
Finish: raisin, lemon, grapefruit, cherry, nutmeg
Additional Notes: For a company that buys 2/3 of California's grapes (E&J Gallo) for its wines and uses them to produce such gems as Carlo Rossi wine jugs, boxes of Vella, Boone's Farm, and Barefoot, little is known about the actual production methods. In this case, we probably don't really want to know how the sausage is made. Drinks more like a child's grape juice than a vermouth.
Gonzalez Byass Rojo
Origin: Spain
Producer: González Byass, distributed by Gonzalez Byass UK
ABV: 15.5%
Wine Base: Palomino, Pedro Ximenez
Known Botanicals: at least 9, including wormwood, savory, clove, orange peel, nutmeg, cinnamon, angelica, and cinchona
Sugar: 141 g/l
Nose: bubblegum, vanilla, rose, cedar, clove, oregano, orange, strawberry, banana
Palate: cinnamon, clove, black pepper, gentian, banana, strawberry, fig, raisin, licorice, cranberry
Finish: cinnamon, clove, fig, nutmeg, vanilla, cranberry, fennel, orange
Additional Notes: Reddish-brown color. Pleasant body. Confectionary. Reminded me of egg nog on the palate.
Hotel Starlino Rosso
Origin: Italy
Producer: Torino Distillati
ABV: 17%
Wine Base: Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc, Marsala
Known Botanicals: at least 13, 3 different kinds of wormwood (gentle, Roman, artemesia absinthium), cinchona, orange, vanilla, bitter orange, clove, raisin, rhubarb, tolu balsam, ginger, grape skin
Sugar Content: N/A
Nose: cinchona, orange, clove, cinnamon, raisin, fig, wormwood, menthol
Palate: cinnamon, vanilla, raisin, orange, apricot, rhubarb, oregano, black cherry
Finish: vanilla, cinnamon, clove, wormwood, tobacco, licorice, oregano, black cherry
Additional Notes: Huge cinnamon and clove with lots of stewed and oxidized red fruit. Rested in ex-Kentucky Bourbon barrels for 30 days. Leaves behind plenty of mulling spices and woody, stemmy flavors. Lots of cherry cola vibes throughout.
La Baronia de Turis 13:30
Origin: Spain
Producer: Baronia de Turis
ABV: 15%
Wine Base: Malvasia
Known Botanicals: wormwood
Sugar: N/A
Nose: cinnamon, sage, sea salt, gentian, orange, dried apricot, straw, clove, black tea, poppy
Palate: vanilla, gentian, honey, lemon, chamomile, black tea, tannic, cinnamon, cinchona
Finish: vanilla, chamomile, orange, gentian, cinnamon, lemon
Additional Notes: Mahogany/orange color. Reminded me a bit of an Arnold Palmer: heavy on black tea and lemon notes.
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.
Lacuesta Rojo
Origin: Spain
Producer: Bodegas Martinez Lacuesta
ABV: 14.9%
Wine Base: N/A
Known Botanicals: at least 5, including wormwood, vanilla, chamomile, and gentian
Sugar: 128 g/l
Nose: raisin, walnut fig, orange vanilla, almond, sherry, dates
Palate: black cherry, gentian, raisin, cacao, walnut, orange, vanilla, lemon, apple
Finish: raisin, cacao, vanilla, apple, toffee, lemon, strawberry, cherry, gentian
Additional Notes: Deep amber color. Light bodied, confectionary, fruity, pleasantly bitter, and acidic. Fantastic however you choose to enjoy it.
Little City Sweet
Origin: USA
Producer: Little City
ABV: 16.5%
Wine Base: Cayuga White
Known Botanicals: 53 total
Sugar Content: N/A
Nose: tobacco, bay leaf, star anise, white grape, cedar, white pepper, raisin, sweet potato
Palate: black cherry, cinchona, cedar, cinnamon, orange, licorice root, myrhh, banana
Finish: black cherry, cinnamon, star anise, ash, white pepper, cedar
Additional Notes: Batch 10 bottling. Red tinted cola brown color. Medium-light body. Warming and spicy with some charred notes.
Lo-Fi Sweet Vermouth
Origin: USA
Producer: Lo-Fi Aperitifs
ABV: 16.5%
Wine Base: Muscat Canelli, Chardonnay
Known Botanicals: at least 12, rhubarb, cocoa, clove, coriander, cardamom, orange oil, vanilla, gentian root, cherry bark, anise, coconut, dried fruit (listed on bottle, fruit unknown)
Sugar: N/A
Nose: licorice, fennel, rhubarb, vanilla
Palate: rhubarb, cocoa, vanilla, cherry, coconut, nutty
Finish: oak, gentian bitterness, orange oil, cherry
Additional Notes: Pale yellow/orange color. No caramel coloring. Wine sourced from E&J Gallo. Cream sherry added and presumably also sourced from E&J Gallo. A little harder to mix with due to its extremely light body/low sugar content, but the flavor always finds a way to come through.
Lustau Rojo
Origin: Spain
Producer: Lustau
ABV: 15%
Wine Base: Palomino (80%), Pedro Ximenez (20%)
Known Botanicals: at least 10, including wormwood, coriander, gentian, angelica, orange peel, sage, cinnamon, and cinchona bark
Sugar: 155 g/l
Nose: sea salt, raisin, currant, coriander, prune, orange, bark, mushroom
Palate: cinchona, gentian, cinnamon, concord grape, plum sweet red grape, citrus peel, plum
Finish: cinchona, gentian, walnut, cream sherry, cinnamon, vanilla
Additional Notes: Mahogany color. Velvety mouthfeel.
Mancino Rosso Amaranto
Origin: Italy
Producer: Mancino
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc
Known Botanicals: 38 total, including wormwood, chiretta, vanilla, rhubarb root, orange zest, juniper, cinnamon, clove, myrrh, and vanilla
Sugar: 135 g/l
Nose: cinnamon, clove, cedar, lemon, gentian, charcoal, orange, tobacco, juniper
Palate: raspberry, blackberry, cherry, juniper, lemon, cinnamon, cinchona, wormwood, clove, sage, rhubarb
Finish: cinnamon, vanilla, wormwood, clove, sage, orange, cherry
Additional Notes: Red-tinted brown. No caramel used for coloring. I've never tasted a vermouth with so much bright, fresh fruit on the palate. Incredibly fruity and light-bodied. Dry for a sweet vermouth with a drying bitterness.
Martini and Rossi Fiero
Origin: Italy
Producer: Martini & Rossi, distributed by Bacardi Limited
ABV: 14.9%
Wine Base: N/A
Known Botanicals: at least 4, including wormwood, orange, and blood orange
Sugar: 180 g/l
Nose: candied orange, artificial orange, grass, cinnamon, peach, cherry, strawberry, rhubarb
Palate: orange, cinnamon, rhubarb, lemon peel
Finish: gentian, orange peel, grapefruit, cinnamon, rhubarb
Additional Notes: Ruby red. Medium-light body. Cloyingly sweet. A blood orange vermouth as sweet and straight-forward as the fruit itself.
Martini and Rossi Rosso
Origin: Italy
Producer: Martini & Rossi, distributed by Bacardi Limited
ABV: 15%
Wine Base: Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc, Catarratto
Known Botanicals: at least 30, including two different varieties of wormwood, dittany, rose, violet, chamomile, Spanish lemon peel, bitter orange peel, raspberry, cascarilla bark, quassia, oris root oil, and gentian root
Sugar: 155 g/l
Nose: tobacco, bay leaf, ginger, prune, pine, cedar, coriander, black pepper, cumin, forest floor
Palate: licorice, cherry, tobacco, cinnamon, wormwood, oregano, bay leaf
Finish: cola, vanilla, wormwood, cinnamon, bay leaf
Additional Notes: Reddish-brown color. Very few bright notes on the palate. Heavy and herbal, woodsy, and savory.
Martini and Rossi Riserva Speciale Rubino
Origin: Italy
Producer: Martini & Rossi, distributed by Bacardi Limited
ABV: 18%
Wine Base: Langhe Nebbiolo
Known Botanicals: at least 5: three varieties of wormwood, holy thistle, red sandalwood
Sugar: 169 g/l
Nose: black cherry, oregano, sage, licorice, black pepper, strawberry, raspberry, gentian
Palate: raspberry, wormwood, bark, lemon, cherry, pomegranate, cassis, blackberry
Finish: bark, wormwood, nutmeg, pomegranate, blood orange, gentian, black pepper
Additional Notes: Ruby red color (hence “Rubino”). Full-bodied and rich. The nose is distinctively Martini & Rossi. Very little baking spice.
Martelletti Classico
Origin: Italy
Producer: Martelletti
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: Moscato
Known Botanicals: at least 20, including wormwood, Romanian absinthe, yellow saffron, turmeric, aloe, myrrh, vanilla, bitter orange, cinnamon, and Chinese rhubarb
Sugar: N/A
Nose: mint, menthol, anise, fennel, cinchona, lemon, fig, cinnamon, rhubarb
Palate: orange, cinnamon, wormwood, raisin, date, gingerbread, charred oak, cola, caraway, honey, chocolate
Finish: vanilla, orange, raisin, fennel, rhubarb
Additional Notes: Golden-amber color. Vermouth di Torino. Notes of cream sherry on the palate.
Mata Tinto
Origin: Spain
Producer: Mata, imported by Ole & Obrigado
ABV: 15%
Wine Base: 90% Mencía, 10% Godello
Known Botanicals: at least 21 including wormwood, wall germander, blessed thistle, centaury, hyssop, sage, hops, clove, elderflower, saffron, star anise, bitter orange peel, cardamom, coriander seed, vanilla, elecampane, gentian, ceylon cinnamon, croton bark, cinchona, pomegranate bark
Sugar: N/A
Nose: thyme, red wine, raspberry, earthy and mild
Palate: cinchona, blackberry, orange, cinnamon, red wine, tannic
Finish: lemon, blackberry, vanilla, cacao, sour cherry
Additional Notes: Very dark red-tinted brown. Medium body. Sweetened with grape must. Fortified with neutral grape distillate. Botanicals are macerated in base wine for 18 months before filtration and fortification. One of those rare sweet red vermouths actually made from primarily red wine. Perfectly balanced between bitter, herbs, and spice with pleasant acidity and prominent bittereness.
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.
Miro Rojo
Origin: Spain
Producer: Miro
ABV: 15%
Wine Base: 75% Airen, 25% Maccabeo
Known Botanicals: wormwood
Sugar: N/A
Nose: cinnamon, raisin, plum, brown sugar, gentian, lemon, mint, sandalwood, vanilla, black pepper
Palate: cacao, cinnamon, vanilla, gentian, wormwood, mint, clove, orange, black cherry, raisin
Finish: vanilla, black cherry, lemon, white pepper, oregano, mint, cacao, clove
Additional Notes: Cola brown color. Vermouth de Reus designation. Medium-light body and relatively dry – doesn't stick to the palate and isn't particularly bitter. Lots of baking spice. Fruity and surprisingly juicy with some faint smokey wood notes.
Montanaro Rosso
Origin: Italy
Producer: Montanaro, distributed by Domaine Select
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: Marsala (21%)
Known Botanicals: at least 20, including wormwood
Sugar: 180 g/l
Nose: plum, gentian, marzipan, cinnamon, cinchona, oregano, black pepper
Palate: black cherry, plum, cinnamon, gentian, vanilla, orange, clove, mint
Finish: apricot, gentian, wormwood, vanilla, cinnamon
Additional Notes: Cola brown color. Vermouth di Torino. Well-balanced between stewed fruit, confectionary notes, and bitterness.
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.
Otto's Athen's Vermouth
Origin: Greece
Producer: See Additional Notes
ABV: 17%
Wine Base: Roditis (60%), Savatiano (40%)
Known Botanicals: at least 7, wormwood, rose petals, olive leaves, lemon, oregano, kumquat, angelica
Sugar: 120-130 g/l
Nose: cinnamon, lemon, wormwood, rose, cherry, vanilla, clove, sandalwood, mint, prune
Palate: cinnamon, rhubarb, mint, prune, orange, vanilla, wormwood, juniper, cedar, gentian
Finish: rhubarb, vanilla, orange, cinnamon, mint, cinchona, honey, clove, poppy, rose
Additional Notes: Dull red color which reminded me of oxidized strawberry. Medium, oily body. A big cherry/vanilla cola bomb with a floral rose note on the nose and finish. Distilled and bottled in Greece by Optimal Supply Chain under the authority of DS Concepts LTD as a collaboration with award winning Athens bar The Clumsies.
Parini Rosso
Origin: Italy
Producer: Parini
ABV: 15%
Wine Base: N/A
Known Botanicals: wormwood
Sugar: N/A
Nose: rose, coriander, moss, cumin, cinnamon, oregano, peach
Palate: cherry, lemon, vanilla, grapefruit, peach, cinnamon, bark, black tea
Finish: vanilla, apricot, cherry, sourdough bread, wormwood, lake water
Additional Notes: Amber color. Muddy, wholly uninteresting palate. Sweet with minimal movement. Off-putting, musty finish.
Perucchi Rojo Gran Reserva
Origin: Spain
Producer: Perucchi
ABV: 15%
Wine Base: N/A
Known Botanicals: wormwood
Sugar: 126 g/l
Nose: clove, vanilla, cinnamon, banana, walnut, orange, pear, rose, marjoram
Palate: lemon, wormwood, raisin, cinnamon, clove, cinchona, star anise, orange
Finish: cinchona, wormwood, raisin, cinnamon, clove, charcoal
Additional Notes: Mahogany color. Very light body. Drying, bitter finish. Claims to be the oldest vermouth producer in Spain.
Primitivo Quiles Rojo
Origin: Spain
Producer: Primitivo Quiles
ABV: 15%
Wine Base: Mourvedre/Monastrell
Known Botanicals: at least 4 – wormwood, fennel, sage, and clove
Sugar: N/A
Nose: lemon, banana, yeasty, green apple, clove, vanilla, menthol, tobacco, oregano
Palate: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, orange, wormwood, lemon, cinchona, raisin, balsamic, banana, cherry, apple
Finish: cinnamon, ginger, sea salt, vanilla, nutmeg, wormwood, raisin, green apple
Additional Notes: Amber color. Smells like a Belgian beer. Dilution brings out lots of apple. A fairly dry expression.
Priorat Natur Vermut
Origin: Spain
Producer: Priorat Natur
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: Macabeo, Pedro Ximenez, Grenache Blanc
Known Botanicals: at least 6 – wormwood, fennel, rosemary, cumin, vanilla, and cinnamon
Sugar: N/A
Nose: thyme, lemon, sea salt, cumin, orange, fennel, oregano, tobacco
Palate: lemon, juniper, thyme, vanilla, cinchona, orange, plum, cinnamon, apple cider
Finish: wormwood, lemon, cinchona, gentian, juniper, cranberry, melon rind, dates
Additional Notes: Pink tinted orange color. Light body. Bright, bitter, and citrusy.
Punt e Mes
Origin: Italy
Producer: Carpano
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: Muscat
Known Botanicals: at least 40, including wormwood, cinchona bark, and orange peel
Sugar: N/A
Nose: licorice, fennel, cinchona, cherry, cinnamon, clove, orange, gentian, straw, chamomile
Palate: wormwood, lemon, grapefruit, gentian, cola, cinnamon, clove, mint, blackberry, vanilla
Finish: wormwood, gentian, cherry, lemon, cinnamon, lavender, mint, orange blossom, rose, vanilla
Additional Notes: Reddish-brown color. A vermouth with a pronounced bitter note. Backstory and history play a big part in the Punt e Mes lore. Still, this is essentially a product designed to be one part Italian sweet vermouth and a half part Italian Amaro, hence the translation of Punt e Mes to “Point and a half.”
Rockwell Sweet
Origin: USA
Producer: Rockwell Vermouth Co.
ABV: 16.5%
Wine Base: Symphony
Known Botanicals: California sagebrush, mission fig
Sugar Content: 155-160 g/l
Nose: caramelized banana, sea salt, sweet potato, cola, sour cherry, tobacco, mint, strawberry
Palate: maple, cinnamon, nutmeg, fig, cherry, banana, raisin, toasted rice, honey, marzipan, mugwort
Finish: cinnamon, nutmeg, raisin, orange, mint, banana, honey, sage, almond, mugwort
Additional Notes: Lot 1 bottling. Somewhere between amber and ruby in color. Medium-light body. Pleasantly dry on the palate for a sweet vermouth. Dilution draws the bitter notes out. Its incredibly unique profile can be a double-edged sword when mixing cocktails – it may not be a 1:1 swap for your go-to sweet red vermouth, but it's an exciting expression and a fine example of an American vermouth. Primarily bittered with Artemesia Californica.
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.
Scarpa Rosso
Origin: Italy
Producer: Scarpa
ABV: 18%
Wine Base: MoscatoKnown Botanicals: wormwood
Sugar: 155 g/l
Nose: mint, oregano, nutmeg, lemon, cinnamon, gentian, licorice, clove, cinchona
Palate: wormwood, orange, cola, vanilla, lemon, nutmeg, ginger, cinchona, dark chocolate
Finish: vanilla, cinnamon, plum, cherry, clove, ginger, grapefruit, wormwood, dark chocolate
Additional Notes: Cola brown appearance. Mixes particularly well in cocktails, especially those with a barrel-aged spirit base.
Tribuno Sweet Vermouth
Origin: USA
Producer: Tribuno
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: N/A
Known Botanicals: N/A
Sugar: N/A
Nose: candied peach, concord grape, raisin, salt, flour, white glue
Palate: grape juice, plum, lemon, cinchona, currant
Finish: peach, grape, prune, sea salt, nutmeg, strawberry
Additional Notes: Reddish brown color. Smells and tastes incredibly artificial through and through. Smells exactly like a peach ring gummy candy and tastes exactly like welch's grape juice. Cloying.
Txurrut Basque Vermut
Origin: Spain
Producer: Vegame
ABV: 15%
Wine Base: Hondarrabi Zuri
Known Botanicals: at least 20, wormwood, fennel, juniper, vanilla, walnut, rose petal
Sugar: N/A
Nose: sandalwood, cinnamon, vanilla, cinchona, raisin, ginger
Palate: cinchona, rhubarb, cinnamon, vanilla, orange, lemon, cedar, fig, cherry
Finish: cinchona, clove, vanilla, orange, raisin, rhubarb, ash, licorice, sea salt
Additional Notes: Reddish-brown appearance. Bright, racy acidity with quinine bitterness on the palate. Medium body with some salinity and minerality most prominent on the finish. Dilution highlights the cinchona, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Vidte Rojo
Origin: Spain
Producer: Vinos de Terruños
ABV: 15%
Wine Base: Muscatel, Merseguera
Known Botanicals: wormwood
Sugar: N/A
Nose: pear, cinnamon, cedar, bay leaf, orange, vanilla, rose, white pepper, rhubarb, banana
Palate: cinchona, pear, lemon, cinnamon, licorice, tobacco, tarragon, sage, rhubarb
Finish: cinchona, raisin, currant, tobacco, cinnamon, eucalyptus, pear, rhubarb, coffee
Additional Notes: Rich mahogany color. Savory, smokey, and spicy with a pronounced rhubarb bitterness similar to Cappelletti Sfumato Rabarbaro Amaro. Very light body, dries out quickly. Doesn't hold up particularly well in cocktails.
Vya Sweet Vermouth
Origin: USA
Producer: Quadry Winery
ABV: 16%
Wine Base: Orange Muscat, Colambard, Valdepenas (manufacturer lists variable wine base, changes semi-regularly?)
Known Botanicals: at least 17, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, clove, galangal, quassia bark
Sugar: 156 g/l
Nose: blackberry, orange, cinnamon, clove, gentian, cola, pine
Palate: clove, cinnamon, cranberry, ginger, cherry, lemon, sarsaparilla, pear
Finish: dried apricot, clove, orange, cinnamon, red currant, vanilla, chocolate, lemon
Additional Notes: Dark bronze color. The roots of the botanicals are used in the maceration. The flowers and leaves of the plants are used for the Extra Dry expression. Tastes like pie. Hard to place the bitter notes.
Notably Missing: Atsby Armadillo Cake, Brovo Jammy Sweet, Brovo Pink Rose, Carpano Classico Rosso, Contratto Americano Rosso, Del Professore Vermouth alla Vaniglia, Fred Jerbis Vermut, Gancia Rosso, Guerin Rouge, Hammer and Tongs L'Afrique, Lionello Stock Rosso, Kedem Sweet, Miro Rojo, Ransom Sweet, Spatola Sweet Vermouth, Yzaguirre Rojo, and Vidte Rojo. Will accept donations of any missing vermouths.
The Guides
Check out 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
Gentian Liqueurs
Please send updates and corrections to brian@corpserevived.com.