Vermouth might seem like a step away from wine, which is the focus of Pull That Cork, but 9diDANTE isn’t just any vermouth. It is a wine-focused vermouth. According to European law vermouth must be 75% wine and 9diDANTE founder, Alex Ouziel, takes the wine component of his vermouths as seriously as he does the 27 botanicals that are also part of the recipe. His inspiration for 9diDANTE (pronounced NOH-veh di Dante) is Dante’s The Divine Comedy and that inspiration is evident in the vermouths’ names, the number of botanicals used, the bottle shapes and labels.
Alex Ouziel makes his vermouth in a historic distillery near Alba in the Piedmont region. He chose Piedmont to establish 9diDANTE, because it is the historic home of vermouth in Italy. Alex shared his story, and two of his vermouths that we received as tasting samples, during an online presentation that left me with a great appreciation of his vermouth.
What is Vermouth?
According to Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) “Vermouth falls into the category of ‘aromatised wines’. These are wines that have been fortified by the addition of distilled alcohol, and flavoured with botanicals. They are typically sweetened, and some have their colour adjusted.”
The flavor profile of vermouth is generally a combination of bitter and sweet along with botanical flavors. The complex flavors are a result of the botanicals used, the base wine and sweetness.
Alcohol ranges between 14.5% and 22% with sweetness from extra-dry to sweet; but even extra-dry tastes sweet. Italy, France and Spain have the longest history of making vermouth.
A Brief History of Vermouth
Alex told us is was not by accident that vermouth was first made in the region between Piedmont and Turin. It’s proximity to the Alps provided access to essential herbs and by the eighteenth century the ports of Genoa and Savona, to the south, provided exotic spices and fruits. The third essential ingredient needed to make vermouth is quality wine, which was already being made in the region.
Vermouth’s local popularity may have been aided by its acceptance among members of the court of Savoy in Turin. Alex described the royals as “the influencers of their day” and soon wealthy aristocrats were following their example and enjoying vermouth regularly.
Vermouth made its way to the United States before Prohibition and became popular with the wealthy because it lent an air of European sophistication. Prohibition in the US squashed vermouth’s momentum, however, and the Second World War caused it to fall out of favor because it was made largely in countries that were occupied by the Germans.
After the war, vermouth began to be made less as a quality artisanal wine and more as a commodity, and as a result, it lost its sophistication. By the early 2000s, though, bartenders were reaching for craft ingredients for cocktails and vermouth began something of a comeback. About one-third of cocktails contain vermouth as an ingredient, so many more people enjoy vermouth than might be aware they are doing so.
The aperitivo movement — the idea of gathering socially to eat and sip alcohol beverages, but with more emphasis on the social aspect of gathering than the drinking aspect —has also contributed to vermouth’s current popularity.
How 9diDANTE is Made
Alex begins with a focus on quality wine in making 9diDANTE. He views wine as the first and last botanical in making vermouth. For that reason, he uses only Piedmont DOC-certified wines sourced from local cooperatives made using local varieties of Dolcetto, Arneis, Cortese and Nebbiolo. 9diDANTE is one of very few vermouths made with this level of attention to wine quality. And the ABV is intentionally low, 17.5% to 18%, so the flavors of the wine and botanicals aren’t masked by higher alcohol.
The first step is the individual extraction of 27 botanicals in neutral spirits. Individual herb, fruit and spice extractions are held separately for about 30 days before filtration.
The base wines are cold stabilized, but not charcoal filtered to maintain their flavor and color. No caramel is added for color. Finally the botanicals and wine are blended in batches and left in tanks for about two months for the flavors to integrate. The vermouth is then filtered and bottled. Wine percentages reach 84% in 9diDANTE lending body and showcasing the wines.
Making vermouth is not rocket science, as Alex put it, but it does require a significant level of skill to combine the botanicals, the wine and sugar to create a consistently delicious, balanced wine with body.
Integral to the making of 9diDANTE is Mario Baralis, master blender and production manager for Carpano before it was bought by Branca Company in 2001. For many years he was responsible for safekeeping the consistency and quality of Carpano. Mario came out of retirement to apply his skills as a master blender to create new vermouth recipes for 9diDANTE.
Let’s Taste
9diDANTE INFERNO Rosso, Vermouth di Torino Superiore IGP — ruby color with generous aromas of cherries, red fruit, cardamom, orange peel and dried sage. Flavor are complex and include red fruit, orange peel and green herbs with considerable sweetness and roundness. There is a pleasing bitter finish. The flavors are rich and lingering. 190 g/L sugar. 17.5% ABV. 750ml. SRP $33
The base wine is a 50/50 blend of Dolcetto and Cortese. The flavors of the wine come through clearly along with the complex flavors of 27 botanicals. It took Alex and Mario about a year to develop the desired flavor profile and body of INFERNO. INFERNO may be the only vermouth made with Dolcetto.
9diDANTE PURGATORIO, Extra Dry, Vermouth di Torino Superiore IGP— light golden with generous aromas of pear, orange peel, cut grass, woody herbs and dried sage. Flavors are lemony with dried herbs, cinnamon and a delicious bitter finish in a medium body. 27g/L sugar. 18% ABV. 750ml. SRP $35
The base wine is 100% Arneis which gives this white-wine vermouth a more lifted, lemony flavor along with the complexity of 27 herbs.
The PURGATORIO was a bit more complicated to make and it took two years to develop. Alex wants all of his vermouths to be enjoyed neat, or over ice, but also to be a quality ingredient for cocktails. Specifically, he sees PURGATORIO as an ingredient in a wet martini, as the original recipe intended.
Both INFERNO and PURGATORIO are classified as Vermouth di Torino Superiore IGP meaning they must be made and bottled in Piedmont, are comprised of a minimum of 75% wine – at least 50% of which must be from Piedmont. The ABV must be between 17% and 22%, contain wormwood and four botanicals from Piedmont. But 9diDANTE vermouths exceed the Vermouth di Torino Superiore requirements by using 100% Piedmont DOC wines, at up to 84%, and seven botanicals grown in Piedmont.
9diDANTE vermouth is made with care in a thoughtful way. Each bottle of 9diDANTE has a list of the nine most important botanicals on its back label and each botanical is depicted on the front label. The 9diDANTE website has a detailed explanation of each botanical’s significance and will take you along on Dante’s journey. You will also find a long list of cocktails made using 9diDANTE vermouth. My usual cocktail is a Manhattan, and I can tell you without reservation INFERNO is way more flavorful and complex, not to mention a more beautiful color, than the muddy-colored vermouth I usually used to use.
For those of you who want a lower-alcohol beverage, using a larger proportion of 9diDANTE in a cocktail will result in a lower-alcohol cocktail. For example: an equal parts martini made with 9diDANTE PURGATORIO.
You may be wondering how long a 9diDANTE vermouth will remain fresh after opening. Early on Alex opened a bottle of INFERNO and sampled it over a years’ time. It remained good to the end, if slightly more bitter. He recommends keeping opened bottles corked in the refrigerator and they should last 4 to 5 months easily.
In addition to INFERNO and PURGATORIO, 9diDANTE also makes a vermouth based on a rosé wine comprised of 12% Nebbiolo and 88% Cortese called PARADISO. Alex told us he asked Mario to make the flavors in PARADISO reflective of the angels present in Dante’s Paradiso, but he wanted the angels dancing to rock music! If that doesn’t make you curious about 9diDANTE vermouth, I don’t know what will.
Thanks to Creative Palate Communications for organizing our tasting and to Alex Ouziel for sharing his story with us.
Cheers!
