Vermouth del Professore Rosso all’uso di Torino tasting notes and review
Vermouth del Professore “Rosso all’uso di Torino” is one of the most complex and seductive fortified wines on the market. It was born from the Antiche Distillerie Quaglia in collaboration with the Roman Jerry Thomas Speakeasy: it aims high but does not disappoint.
In the firmament of Italian vermouth, it is one of the most interesting, it is a very fragrant and enveloping product, but full, with a baroque aromatic outfit, which however remains always pleasant and manages to find a certain balance. All the suggestions are well balanced, it is not redundant, it moves smoothly on the palate.
But after years of drab and anemic vermouth, industrial products distilled exclusively from the logic of profit, vermouth finally returns to be the protagonist, with rich and sumptuous, fascinating and mysterious bottles. Not the usual wines full of additives and chemical flavors, bur real wines made with great ingredients.
Vermouth must not be a natural wine that enhances the qualities of a specific grape variety, vermouth must go further and show off Pindaric flights. It is a dream, an apothecary creation, a symphony where each ingredient is part of the equation and plays a note to help create harmony.
And this Vermouth del Professore “Rosso all’uso di Torino” does its duty. It is born as a blend of red and white wines, which are then flavored with selected spices and aromatic herbs of first quality. There are no smudges: mint, gentian, nutmeg, absinthe, cinnamon, rhubarb. And then it ages in wooden barrels for 6 months to concentrate the aromas, take tannic credibility and absorb further spicy aromas: the result is delicious.
Especially if you consider that the price of this bottle is 18 euros. In line with competing products like Mulassano, Cocchi, and Belsazar.
Vermouth del Professore “Rosso all’uso di Torino” bouquet
Cheeky and sharp nose, explosive, furrowed with mentholated razors, balsamic hints of eucalyptus and an infinite mix of herbs and dried flowers reminiscent of the jars of a 17th-century apothecary. Spices are not overbearing, indeed they prolong the aromatic development of this wine with a warmer touch. Traces of coffee, cocoa, and camphor mixed with cinnamon, vanilla, dried fruit. The fruit is always clean and sharp in the background to set the pace.
What does Vermouth del Professore “Rosso all’uso di Torino” taste like?
On the palate it is consonant with the nose, it is suggestive, very fresh and spicy. The herbs are pungent, but the most important thing is the harmony of the parts. Sweetness and freshness are well balanced in a play of shadows and lights. The bitter tones of the roots are dense, but they break on the underlying sweetness that impeccably binds every “hard” component.
Overall, the structure is opulent, but it’s smooth, alternating dark flavors, others pungent, others warmer, without ever losing sight of the aromatic cleanliness.
It is not easy to make vermouth, the ingredients are many, like the desire to emerge, it becomes an act of creation that has something artistic. Sensitivity is needed, but despite this vermouth being full and very complex, it succeeds in the difficult attempt to combine creativity, balance, and drinkability.
Vermouth del Professore “Rosso all’uso di Torino” cost
18-20, great price.
What cocktails to make with Vermouth del Professore “Rosso all’uso di Torino”
Considering the good structure, do not be afraid to combine it with spicy and strong gins such as the Opihr, Plymouth or Death’s Door to make unforgettable Negroni. As a protagonist in solo for the Americano it is excellent, also for Manhattan, Boulevardier, Brooklyn, Hanky Panky is very good. But the best cocktail to do with this vermouth is the Bronx: the orange juice cuts it transversely creating an incredible combination. Obviously also neat with zest, orange slice and soda is worth trying.