{"id":23059,"date":"2025-03-05T13:59:47","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T11:59:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/?p=23059"},"modified":"2025-03-05T13:59:47","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T11:59:47","slug":"all-about-vermouth-categories-regulations-and-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/en\/all-about-vermouth-categories-regulations-and-products\/","title":{"rendered":"All About Vermouth: Categories, Regulations, and Products"},"content":{"rendered":"

I will state it outright and without hesitation: I consider vermouth to be one of the most versatile alcoholic beverages. It is excellent on its own, neat or over ice, as well as in cocktails, mixed with a soft drink, at almost any temperature you prefer, across seasons, at noon, in the afternoon, or at night. While many people have only discovered it in recent years, thanks to the rise of Negronis and similar concoctions, vermouth has enjoyed great popularity in Greece long before cocktail bars even existed. Perhaps this is why its resurgence has been so seamless. In this article, you will find all the (useful) information I have gathered over the years\u2014knowledge that I believe will be valuable to both bartending professionals and spirit enthusiasts. Some of this information may be familiar, while other details might be entirely new, but in any case, this is a text you can always refer back to when seeking any vermouth-related information.<\/p>\n

What is Vermouth?<\/h3>\n

Vermouth is an aromatized and fortified wine\u2014a wine-based alcoholic beverage (usually white wine) infused with herbs and spices, then fortified with a distilled spirit to increase its alcohol content, and finally, a varying amount of sugar is added.<\/p>\n

Vermouth is the most distinctive subcategory of aromatized and fortified wines and takes its name from its primary botanical component: wormwood. The German word for wormwood is wermut<\/em>, which inspired the drink\u2019s name. Using the Latin term Artemisia absinthium<\/em> for branding would have been impractical, though it might have been more stylish to adopt the Greek equivalent, Artemisia<\/em>.<\/p>\n

By nature, due to the maceration of wormwood and other bitter botanicals, vermouth has an inherent bitterness. However, with the extraction of additional ingredients and the addition of sugar, it can develop herbal, fruity, spicy, and varying degrees of sweetness.<\/p>\n\"\"\n

The History of Vermouth<\/h3>\n

Traditionally, vermouth, as we know it from bars today, was first produced in the Savoy region, an area that no longer exists as an independent entity. The House of Savoy, one of the most renowned royal families in history, hailed from this region. Originally from Switzerland, the family is said to have Celtic and Roman roots, and their administrative influence once extended as far as Sicily. They played a pivotal role in the unification of Italy and, of course, gave humanity the wonderful creation of vermouth\u2014both dry and sweet\u2014using herbs that grew abundantly in the Alpine region where the Duchy of Savoy was established.<\/p>\n

Following the Italian Unification in 1860, Savoy was divided between two countries: its northern part, including Chamb\u00e9ry, Nice, and Annecy, was annexed by France, while its southern part, with Turin as its main city and former capital, became part of the newly unified Italy.<\/p>\n

Given the rich herbal landscape of the region, locals had been experimenting with infusing wine with botanicals for centuries, producing numerous recipes with varying herbs and sweetness levels. Over time, Chamb\u00e9ry became known for producing dry vermouth, while Turin specialized in sweet ones. This is why, historically, you will find references in cocktail books to French dry vermouth and Italian sweet vermouth.<\/p>\n

The first recorded production of sweet vermouth in Turin was by Antonio Benedetto Carpano in 1786<\/strong>, while Joseph Noilly<\/strong> was the pioneer behind dry ones in France, creating the iconic Noilly Prat<\/strong> recipe in Lyon in 1813.<\/p>\n\"\"\n

Regulatory Framework<\/h3>\n

Today, European Union regulations for aromatized wines require that they contain at least 75% wine base and have an alcohol content between 14.5% and 22%. According to EU Regulation (EU) No 251\/2014<\/a>, vermouth must contain some form of wormwood\u2014most commonly Artemisia absinthium<\/em>, though Artemisia pontica<\/em> and Artemisia maritime<\/em>, among others, are also permitted.<\/p>\n

Vermouth may be fortified with any distilled spirit, from neutral high-proof alcohol of agricultural origin to wine distillates such as brandy. For sweetness, a variety of sweetening agents can be used, including sugar in various forms, caramel, honey, or grape must.<\/p>\n

The EU categorizes vermouth by sweetness levels:<\/p>\n