Idlewild Sunday School: Italian Vermouth from heel to toe

[Tom_DeBiase]

Idlewild Sunday School for February featured Italian Vermouth. The Vermouth tasted were all made with the highest quality botanicals and tinctures from herbs, spices, barks, flowers, seeds, roots and more.
Color if used is also all natural including the bright reddish hues from the Cochineal beetle.

Vermouth is classified as “dry” or “sweet” as sugar, caramelized sugar, grape juice etc is often used to balance out the bitterness and alcohol.
All of this adds up to a complex and wonderful array of fragrant notes that make a highly aromatized beverage. The individual Vermouth may or may not be to your liking but all display unique aromatic and flavor qualities.

For the tasting a generous pour was given to evaluate for aroma and sipping quality. A bottle of sparkling water was also provided to splash a bit into the glass to then experience the aromatics with added carbonation. Evaluating without and with carbonation made the perfect format for the tasting.

Miegamma Vermut Bianco, Sardinia: Grapes: Carignano. Botanicals: orange and mandarin peels, pomegranate peel, gentian root, licorice root, artemisia, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus, myrtle berries, wild blackberries, lentisk, wild mallow flowers, orange flowers.
Sweet herbs, fresh tobacco, orange oil, slightly oxidized mandarin and fig. Lovely aroma. No added sugar. Love it! 16.4% ABV

Silvio Carta Vermouth Bianco di Sardegna “Servito” Sardinia: Wine used: Vernaccia Valle del Tirso. Botanicals: Wild Sardinian herbs, salvia desoleana, myrtle, helichrysum, senecio serpens.
Bergamot, bitter orange, dark cocoa, vanilla, apricot, mint and eucalyptus. Very different and distinct. love it or hate it. Crowd seemed split. I thought it interesting but not my favorite. 16% ABV

Vergano Vermouth Bianco, Piedmont: Grapes: Cortese, Moscato d’ Asti: Botanicals: Thyme, marjoram, basil gentile, other herbs and spices.
Strong marjoram aroma, green herbs, spicy, oregano, mixed citrus, very bitter but delicious. Good stuff! 16% ABV

Vergano Vermouth Americano, Piedmont: Grapes: Grignolino, Color from Cochineal. Botanicals: wormwood, gentian flower & root, rhubarb, chinotto (bitter oranges picked green), sweet orange, galangal and vanilla.
Citrus peel, black pepper, bitter herbs, fig jam, spicy. A favorite of mine and the audience. 16% ABV

Sirene Americano Rosso, Lake Garda: Wine: Verona. Color from hibiscus and monarda flowers. Botanicals: Gentian, rose, orange peel, pepper.
Very floral, rose and violet, wild berry, bitter orange, spicy ginger. Very bitter but balanced with good sweetness. 17% ABV

Elena Penna Vermouth di Turino, Piedmont: Wine: 33% Nebbiolo, 67% Arneis. Botanicals: Piedmont herbs, citrus peels, chinotto, rhubarb, cloves, vanilla.
Perhaps the most complex vermouth of the evening, lot’s of citrus peel, bitter herbs, lot’s of spice, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and a long finish. very bitter but balanced with nice sweetness. 18% ABV

Fantastic tasting of Italian Vermouth none of which I have had before. Should also mention the wonderful snacks we had during the tasting, a mini feast!
Anchovy stuffed olives
Pecorino stuffed peppers
Fishwife anchovies
Picante Mussels
Ferrigno sardines ala Pissaldiere

Forgot to take a photo of the bottles but have included photos of the tasting sheet and a simple introduction sheet of some botanicals used to make vermouth.

[TomHill]

Looks like a fantastic tasting, Tom. None of those am I familiar with. Those Vermouths can be such
an exotic experience. But it’s hard to get thru a whole btl. I often use them to deglaze pans.
Tom

[Tom_DeBiase]

@TomHill

Looks like a fantastic tasting, Tom. None of those am I familiar with. Those Vermouths can be such
an exotic experience. But it’s hard to get thru a whole btl. I often use them to deglaze pans.

Tom, it was a very cool tasting. Lot’s of unique aroma and flavor profiles.

With summer heat coming you should be able to plow through a bottle’s worth of cocktails with ease
Hope to see you soon.

Tom

[Brandon_R]

What a cool tasting, Tom, thanks for posting. You mention cocktails - did you find yourself evaluating them with regard to how they might do in, say, a martini? It’s funny because, being a wine enthusiast, one could assume I would be discerning in my vermouth selection but, alas, I’m not. And I love a good martini!

[Tom_DeBiase]

@Brandon_R

What a cool tasting, Tom, thanks for posting. You mention cocktails - did you find yourself evaluating them with regard to how they might do in, say, a martini? It’s funny because, being a wine enthusiast, one could assume I would be discerning in my vermouth selection but, alas, I’m not. And I love a good martini!

We all were absolutely thinking about martini’s and a whole lot of other cocktails. That is why carbonated water was also on the table. Not exactly a cocktail but gave a different impression compared to sipping.

“For the tasting a generous pour was given to evaluate for aroma and sipping quality. A bottle of sparkling water was also provided to splash a bit into the glass to then experience the aromatics with added carbonation. Evaluating without and with carbonation made the perfect format for the tasting.”

The aromatics of these vermouth were awesome!

Tom

[Tom_G_l_a_s_g_o_w]

No Vergano Luli? Moscato based , Addicting.

[Joseph_Grassa]

The plus is that they often can remain open for a very long time. 1 month+ usually.

[TGigante]

@Tom_DeBiase

Tom

What was the serving temperature?

[Tom_G_l_a_s_g_o_w]

I like cellar temperature, but store opened bottles in fridge. Vergano serves his Americano with a bit of soda water and an orange peel ( a serrated peeler gives a thin peel with little pith, probably more important with lemon peel). The Americano is a play on the aperitivo , Americano. Vergano was a chemist. Chinato, Americano and Vermouth blended to perfection by retired chemist Mauro Vergano

[Tom_DeBiase]

@TGigante

What was the serving temperature?

Cellar temperature for the pour and a cold bottle of seltzer water for mixing.

Tom

[Brandon_R]

Bumping this, as I think I bought something I didn’t intend to. I know zero about fine vermouth. I usually buy decent grocery store stuff to put in cocktails. I was at a retailer recently and saw some vermouth sitting on the shelf. I aksed if this particular bottle was, “dry” vermouth and would it be good for a martini. She insisted that it was, and yes, it would be excellent. I buy good gin, so why not see if a good vermouth helps even more?

Then I looked at CT and saw the one TN as, “Sweet.” What do I have and how would you enjoy it?

It’s a 2018 Antica Distilleria Piemonte Vermouth Del Professore Chinato

[Tom_G_l_a_s_g_o_w]

Chinato, sorta like Vermouth. Apertivo or after dinner neat. Also, consult the cocktail thread and search chinato.

[Brandon_R]

Good call, thanks, Tom.

[Tom_G_l_a_s_g_o_w]

Best Chinato and do you age it?

Timely rejuvenation of this thread. I like Marcarini and I am interested in the groups thoughts on Del Professore as it is less expensive. I went to a great restaurant recently where they offered a range of Negronis including one made with a Barolo Chinato. It was great and I want to offer it but my concern is how long the Chinato remains fresh after opening or whether I should just use a Coravin as I will only be requiring a 30ml serve each time?

[M1a_U]

I think I would have greatly enjoyed this tasting, as I love vermouth, and enjoy it as an aperitif (I think vermouth is excellent with snacky things, as you had during the tasting) as well as in cocktails.
I have had various chinatos, some commercially made (mostly barolo chinatos) but also home-made barbera chinatos and nebbiolo chinatos. Chinatos were originally medicinal (“chinato” indicating the use of quinine), used for treating malaria which was endemic in the Po valley area.
One correction, cochineal is an extract from a scale insect, not from a “beetle” or “beetle shells”. The insect is soft bodied and kind of white/fuzzy looking (they resemble mealybugs), and feeds on Opuntia cacti species (the prickly pear family). You’ll see these quite commonly in the southwest and Mexico. If you crush a cochineal insect, you will see the interior is a deep red, which due to the high levels of carminic acid or “carmine”, which is the substance used to color foods. All natural, but of course not vegetarian or vegan, for those who care.