Astobiza Vermouth Extra

Astobiza works in the Basque Country and made the first vermouth from Hondarrabi Zuri, one of the flagship grapes of txakoli, the region's traditional white wine. That base sets the style. Hondarrabi Zuri grown on the cool, damp Atlantic coast gives a high acid, low alcohol, citrus driven and faintly saline wine, and those green, briny qualities carry into the vermouth. The producer ran hundreds of trials to find a balance between bitterness and acidity, and the wine is aromatised by macerating wormwood and herbs so their bitter and aromatic compounds pass into the blend, which is kept dry rather than heavily sweetened. The colour is pale. The nose is bitter orange, citrus peel and Atlantic herbs with a clean wormwood lift. The palate is dry and gastronomic, the bitter and citrus notes balanced by sharp acidity, finishing long, clean and fresh with a saline edge. Serve well chilled over ice with a slice of lemon or a green olive as an aperitif. It is built for the table and suits grilled white fish, fresh shellfish and young goats' cheese.