By Dai Deh from Bay Area Spirits

Chilled with some ice a lemon twist, for instant refreshment

With warm weather becoming more of a reality than a rumor in San Francisco, my mind and my thirst naturally gravitate away from soul-warming Scotches and bourbons and towards drinks that quench my thirst and open my appetite.  I love a tiki cocktail or a refreshing cerveza as much as the next person, but lately, my summer drink of choice has been aperitif wines.

Red vermouth is still made from white wine

Aperitif wines are wines that have been fortified(neutral spirits added to bump up the alcohol percentage into the 15-24% ABV range) and/oraromatized (by herbs and botanicals) and generally display a bitter-sweet character.  This category of spirits includes vermouth, quinquina, americano and European vino amari.

The herbs and botanicals in aperitif wines are great for getting your gastric juices flowing and opening up your appetite before a meal.  My modus operandi this summer has been to grab an aperitif wine out of my wine fridge and pour a glass of vermouth over an ice cube with a lemon twist before dinner.  Stupid simple and delicious.

Vermouth, you say?  Isn’t that the bottle of Martini & Rossi or Noilly Prat that I bought for my last house party so my guests could mix their own martinis or Manhattans?  The answer is yes, and if that bottle of vermouth is still sitting on your liquor cabinet beside the gin, vodka and rum, we should pause here while you pour it down the drain.  Like other wines, aperitif wines will begin to oxidize after opening and generally won’t last more than a month or two.  You should buy in small bottles and ideally try to consume each bottle in 2-3 weeks.  In between, you should cap your bottles tightly and keep them in a refrigerator or wine fridge, away from heat and light.

Vermouth originated in Italy in the 18^th century and can usually be found in 3 basic styles: dry, white or red.  White and red are typically considered sweet vermouths.  Dry vermouth is usually straw-colored and is less sweet.  A large majority of vermouths, whether they’re white, red or straw-colored are made form a base of white wine.  Red vermouth gets its darker color from either the herbs and botanicals that are added, or from a caramel additive, not from a red-wine base, a common misconception.  You may also come across pink or rosé vermouth, which is made from rosé wine.

Quinquina (ken-KEE-nah) & americano are styles of aperitif wine that feature chinchona bark (quinine) and gentian/wormwood, respectively.  ‘–Amer’ in americano is the French word for ‘bitter’.  You can think of quinquina and americano as the more-bitter relative of vermouth.  Some brands that you might have seen are Lillet, Dubonnet, Bonal Gentiane Quina, and Cocchi Americano.

Here is my Top-5 list of aperitif wines to try:

Dolin Dry, Blanc et Rouge, along with Cocchi Americano

5) Punt E Mes (16% abv; 750 mL) – A heavier sweet vermouth with plum, raisin and prune juice notes, along with a dry, bitter finish.  Lends itself beautifully to many cocktails and gets its name (Piedmontese for ‘a point and a half’) from an unexpected rise in the stock market that benefited the Carpano distillery.

4) Cocchi Americano (16.5% abv; 750 mL) – A white aperitif wine that is made from Moscato di Asti grapes in Italy and infused with herbs, fruit and spices, including cinchona, gentian and citrus.  It’s laid down for a year before being reeleased.  Drink chilled with an ice cube and a twist of orange peel, or in one of many classic cocktails.

Cardamaro, Bonal, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, Carpana Antica and Barolo Chinato

3) Cardamaro (17% abv; 750 mL) – This Italian-amari style of aperitif wine features an infusion of Cardoon, Blessed Thistle and other botanicals and is rested in new oak for at least six months.  A great entry into a whole other world of Italian amari (bitters).  The thin, long-necked bottle is a work of art.

2) Cocchi Vermouth di Torino (16% abv; 375 or 750 mL bottles) – A moscato-based vermouth only recently available in the U.S., this Italian vermouth is rich and vibrant, with notes of cocoa, citrus and rhubarb. Vaguely reminiscent of old-school cola.

A glass of Dolin Blanc and a bowl of fresh strawberries...ahhhh, summer is here!

Honorable mentions: The Carpano Antica sweet vermouth comes from the makers of Punt E Mes and is a less sweet, more complex, high-end vermouth.  If you’re feeling patriotic, Vya and Sutton Cellars are two Californian brands that produce very nice vermouths.

If you live in the SF Bay Area, Cask on Market and 3^rd streets has the best selection of aperitif wines that I’ve seen.  K&L Wines in San Francisco and Redwood City also has a nice selection and will ship to many states if you order online.  If you want to learn more about aperitif wines, Vermouth 101 is an excellent resource.

Cheers and enjoy your summer aperitif wines!

A recent vermouth tasting at the Barbary Coast Conservancy of the American Cocktail