thumb|upright|Gran Cinzano
Cinzano () is an Italian brand of vermouth, a brand owned by Gruppo Caffo 1915.
History
Cinzano vermouths date back to 1757 and the Turin herbal shop of two brothers, Giovanni Giacomo and Carlo Stefano Cinzano, who created a new "vermouth rosso" (red vermouth) using "aromatic plants from the Italian Alps in a [still-secret] recipe combining 35 ingredients (including marjoram, thyme, and yarrow)".
Cinzano remained a family-run business until 1985. Beginning that year, the Marone family, Turin industrialists, began to sell shares in the business, culminating in 1992 with an agreement to turn Cinzano International S.A. entirely over to International Distillers & Vintners, a wholly owned subsidiary of Grand Metropolitan. At the time of its sale, Cinzano's share of the vermouth market in Europe was measured in the low single digits, sales that placed it a distant second to Martini.
The Cinzano cycling team had a central role in the film Breaking Away.
Versions
It comes in four versions:
- Cinzano Rosso, which is amber-coloured;
- Cinzano Bianco, which is white and drier than Rosso, yet still considered a sweet vermouth; It also featured as a Sterling Cooper–promoted brand on the series Mad Men.
See also
- List of Italian companies