thumb|Four bottles of vermouth: Fot-Li and Yzaguirre, red vermouths from Spain; Punt e Mes, red vermouth from Italy; and Dolin, dry vermouth from France
Vermouth (, )
It was commonly used in Hungary at least since the 15th century with different species of artemisia plants, such as mugwort or wormwood and other spices such as mustard seeds, horseradish, elfdock, etc. Wormwood is called üröm or irem in Hungarian, hence the drink is called ürmös (wormwoodish) or ürmösbor (wormwoodish wine). In the 16th century, it was used with imported spices, too, including cinnamon, clove, etc. It was well known for healing stomach and digestive problems.
The name "vermouth" is the French pronunciation of the German word Wermut for wormwood that has been used as an ingredient in the drink over its history. Fortified wines containing wormwood as a principal ingredient existed in Germany around the 16th century. Around this time, an Italian merchant named D'Alessio began producing a similar product in Piedmont as a "wormwood wine". D'Alessio's version of the libation contained other botanical ingredients in addition to wormwood. Competing brands emerged shortly thereafter in eastern and southeastern France, each with its own proprietary mix of ingredients, including herbs, roots, bark, and spices. Even such international brands as Cinzano have Argentinian-only products like Cinzano Segundo, made with local grapes.
In the years since 2013, interest in vermouth has renewed in the US. Artisanal makers have created new brands of vermouth that do not seek to imitate European styles, and vermouth has been a fast-growing category within the wine trade.
Production, ingredients, and flavors
Several wine grapes, including Clairette blanche, Piquepoul, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Catarratto, and Trebbiano, are generally used as the base ingredients for vermouths. From these grapes, a low-alcohol white wine is produced by vermouth manufacturers. The wine may be aged for a short while before the addition of other ingredients. For sweet vermouths, sugar syrup is added before the wine is fortified with extra alcohol.
The added alcohol is usually a neutral grape spirit, but may also come from vegetable sources such as sugar beets. The wine is then placed in large barrels or tanks to which the dry ingredients have already been added. The mixture is stirred at intervals until the dry ingredients have been absorbed and the drink is ready for bottling. Red vermouths can derive their color from botanicals, added red wine, or sometimes from caramel color. Rose-colored vermouth uses red and white wines as its base.
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