Our vermouth is rich in history.
Torino White Vermouth
A unique recipe with a traditional flavour
Vermouth di Torino Bianco is one of the best aromatic wines of Piedmontese origin, composed mainly of wormwood, marjoram, sage, coriander and iris macerated in a single solution, and liquorice, which is processed separately, because of its pronounced and unique aromatic character.
When Vittorio Zoppi and Filippo Antonelli decided to establish Antica Torino in 2016, their main intention was to rediscover and promote antique family recipes and classic flavours such as those of the aromatic wines, liqueurs, and spirits of the Piedmontese tradition.
For example, the recipe for Vermouth di Torino Bianco dates back to the 1940s and 1950s and tells a family story that is very closely related to Antica Torino: it is in fact one of the legacies of the great-uncle of Paola Rogai, who is the office manager and the heart and soul of the company. A family treasure/emotional heirloom/legacy that needed to be reproduced exactly as it was, using the ingredients that made it so special: wormwood, marjoram, sage, coriander, iris and liquorice.
Vermouth di Torino Bianco is a classic Italian aperitif, less alcoholic than red or dry vermouth, with clear notes of flowers and liquorice, delicately spiced and pleasing, as well as very refreshing and an aid to digestion.
With Vermouth di Torino Bianco, the range of offerings proposed by Antica Torino broadens: the vermouth is not just an old-fashioned aromatic wine, it is also capable of conveying notes on the palate that embroider an unforgettable symphony over time, like its history.
Antica Torino White Vermouth
CHARACTERISTICS
Alcohol content: 16 degrees
Sugar: 16,5% (165gr/l)
Ingredients: wormwood, marjoram, sage, coriander, iris and liquorice, Italian white wine, alcohol and beet sugar.
PRODUCTION
Maceration of the botanicals in 96-degree alcohol for 30 days, the liquorice is macerated separately; pressing to obtain a tincture; blend with wine, alcohol, and burnt beet sugar, maturation and aging in steel tanks for 45-60 days; filtration and bottling; further aging in the bottle for 30-45 days.
USE
Vermouth di Torino Bianco has become one of the most loved aromatic wines because of its freshness and the fact that it can be used in many different ways.
In particular, it can be used as a base for the creation of unforgettable and timeless cocktails, thanks to its extraordinary versatility, or even tasted accompanied only by a sage leaf and on ice.
DESCRIPTION
Visual description: pale yellow colour.
Taste and olfactory description: expressive notes of flowers and liquorice, slightly spiced, rounded and pleasurable.
City of the Savoy and the Belle Epoque
The locations and the stories of a ritual
Turin and vermouth
Historical flavours and scents
The name vermouth has origins that are both diverse and curious: one of the most plausible being that it derives from the German “Wermut”, meaning artemisia or greater wormwood, which is one of the aromatic herbs most commonly used in its composition. Another dates back to the time of Louis XIV, the famous king of France, who seems to have particularly enjoyed Rosolio, a strong liqueur prepared by a confectioner from Piedmont.
This remedy soon spread among the king’s soldiers, so much so that during their travels to Germany, it was modified to “Vermuth” (from “Wehr” meaning army and “Mut” meaning courage).
However, the most recent story brings us back to Turin in 1786, to the laboratory of Antonio Benedetto Carpano, who invented the innovative recipe for the world’s most famous aperitif.
Carpano was a great lover of German literature, especially of Goethe, so much so that he decided to honour him by calling the drink Vermuth, from the German “Wermut”, or wormwood.
Carpano’s shop soon became one of the “cult”/trendy/fashionable meeting places for the people of Turin, who fell in love with vermouth at first sip: even the statesman Camillo Benso Count of Cavour and the composer Giuseppe Verdi were charmed by it.
During the so-called Belle Epoque – between 1880 and 1915 – in the city of Turin, vermouth flourished to such an extent that “Vermouth Hour” was established, a moment of conviviality that brought together politicians, musicians and artists who raised their glasses together with a “vermuttino” [little vermouth] in hand.
Even today, vermouth is synonymous with an aperitif, and has become known as a base for famous cocktail recipes but also enjoyed alone, with lemon zest and ice.
The production method
A fundamental necessity for making Vermouth di Torino is high quality wine: white or red, it must have good structure and acidity in order to blend with the spices and balance the sugar. After selecting a base alcohol, the extracts of aromatic herbs and spices, flowers, seeds, roots and barkare added, following infusion in a solution of alcohol and water for 15-20 days. They are mixed with the sugar and wine and left to rest in maturation tanks. The beverage is then filtered and bottled.
