Antica Torino Dry Vermouth 750ml

Antica Torino was founded in 2016 by Vittorio Zoppi and Filippo Antonelli, with a mission to revive traditional Piedmontese aromatized wines drawn from historical recipes. Zoppi's inspiration traced back to childhood summers spent with his grandmother Iole, whose vermouth he secretly tasted as a boy, a memory that resurfaced in 2014 when a San Francisco liquor store owner asked him about the category and set him on a path of research. Dry Vermouth di Torino is based on a recipe the pair uncovered from the 1950s, titled simply "extract for dry vermouth," from an era when Turin's aromatized wine industry was at its peak.

Dry starts with Cortese, a Piedmontese white grape known for its floral character, fortified with neutral grain spirit distilled from Italian wheat. Each botanical, including wormwood, yarrow, sage, thistle, hyssop, cinnamon, and coriander, is macerated individually before a portion of the blend is partially redistilled, a technique meant to add complexity and extend shelf life. The finished vermouth rests in steel tanks for several weeks before filtering and bottling, with sugar kept low at around 30 grams per liter.

The result pours a pale straw yellow, with an intense, layered nose of spice, flowers, and citrus alongside subtle mineral notes. The palate turns dry and softly warm, showing sage, almond, and cinnamon through a long, balanced finish.