Tasting Vermouth side-by-side is rare in bars nowadays, but not in Bend’s wine bar FERM & Fare. Thanks to wine tasting being in fashion, there’s an opportunity to taste wine outside known wine regions and metropolitan areas. To top it off, tasting Vermouth from three different countries made it even more fun.
On our last trip to Bend – ski, mountain bike, and everything outdoorsy town – in central Oregon, to our surprise, we bumped into a wine shop and tasting room and couldn’t resist checking their collection.
The flights in FERM & Fare are always changing, and this time around, we got to taste a wine that has fallen out of fashion and is mainly used in cocktails.
Tasting Vermouth. FERM & Fare Flight
The face-off was between French La Quintinye’s Royal Vermouth, Italian Bordiga’s Vermouth di Torino Bianco, and Spanish Manuel Acha’s Vermouth Rojo ‘Atxa.’
They were all quite different. While we had tasted La Quintinye before and were always happy to keep a bottle at home, Bordiga and Atxa were new to us.
As expected, La Quintinye was a classic rich, herbal with medium sweetness and a reliable option when one is in the mood for Vermouth.
On the other hand, Bordiga’s Vermouth di Torino had a floral and more feminine aroma with promise. Yet, we felt a bit cheated on the palate because its overly sweet (to our taste) profile masked most of the flavors. However, it might be the best choice for sweet-tooth wine lovers.
‘Atxa’ had the best balance of the three, yet it had the boldest profile with intense herbal, tar, and orange flavors. It was both of our favorites.
For the details on each of the Vermouth samples, check our video about this tasting.
What is your favorite Vermouth or cocktail with it? Do you have any thoughts on these three if you tried them?