Vermouth Gualco: the review of a splendid Piedmontese wine
Vermouth Gualco is one of the most imaginative and insightful we have tasted lately. It is not the usual cosmetic vermouth full of futurist scents, spices, woods, and Eau de perfume aromas. No, quite the opposite.
It is a fortified wine of great depth and aromatic strength. All played on herbs, medicinal tones, and the balsamic charge of absinthe, for friends Artemisia Absinthium.
It is no coincidence that on the label, you will find the words “Vinum Absinthiatum” in honor of the wines that the Greeks and Romans loved to aromatize with spices, herbs, and absinthe.
There are also spices and roots, rhubarb and cinchona, but we have not yet tried such a solid and intense charge.
Indeed, not everyone will like it, especially in this period of Pindaric flights and the greatness of the nose, but the thinness of the mouth. The sip is full, velvety, tasty, tannic, and fruity, and certainly not for the subtle.
Yes, it is bitter and varied; however, the flavors are explosive and not played on finesse, so be warned, it’s not dapper vermouth with white gloves but a street boxer.
How is it done?
In classic Glauco style, everything is done in a precise, methodical, but artisanal way. If you do not know this historic distillery was founded more than 150 years ago, immediately remedy this gap and go for a visit.
It is an incredible reality, not only for the beauty of the place but also for the goodness of the spirits.
And like the spirits, this vermouth is also made without many frills but a lot of substance. The wine matures in steel and glass demijohns after adding sugar, good taste alcohol, spices, roots, absinthe, and citrus fruits. Not making wood is very pure and clean, and the wine is not super oxidized or smoked at all.
Making vermouth like this in the old way is much more complex, a family business, but the result is splendid. And above all, it is a natural wine, alive and iridescent and not industrial vermouth. Of course, the cost of processing is reflected in the price of the bottle, but
Organoleptic characteristics
The cut is tailored and artisanal. It is not shaped by wood like the Riserva Martini, to name one, so it does not travel on a stylistic track cemented in boredom but opens up to a thousand flavors. The bouquet is dark and fleshy, fruity and wild with notes of roots, cinchona, and licorice, then hopping on spices such as cola and cinnamon, ending with a final of baked red-orange at low temperature in a sea of watermelon juice and pepper.
But what makes you fall in love is that green and nervous medicinal appeal that comes from absinthe. A game of small details and infinite facets that put together form a unique fresco.
It doesn’t even look like vermouth to smell it, but a monastic liqueur. Mint, eucalyptus, camphor, and a thousand scents of an ancient apothecary inlay the aromatic framework of this splendid wine and are perfectly blended in a massive structure.
It is equally profound, velvety, but smooth, despite the body on the palate.
The bitter tones and tannins are very docile. It is once again the vibrating of green flavors that play the symphony of taste. The sweetness is quite marked, the roundness is good, but there is an excellent freshness to play down the sip. Alcohol is potent, don’t think of a thin and lean wine made by the barrels but a stallion that paws.
Price
Twenty-four euros on the Glauco distillery website. The price is not popular but in line with competing products of similar quality and cut. Antica Torino vermouth, to name a similar one in setting, but not stylistically, costs 24-25, so the price is right.
Cocktails to make
Serve it at 12 degrees with a slice of orange and soda after squeezing over an orange peel. It is not a “working vermouth,” but if you want, use it for immortal cocktails such as Negroni, Americano, Manhattan, Boulevardier, Brooklyn, Hanky Panky Bronx.