Vermouth Dos Deus Estrelles

Vermouth Dos Deus Estrelles comes from Cellers Bellmunt del Priorat in Tarragona, north-east Spain, a house that has researched new vermouth blends since 1998 while keeping to traditional method. It is built from a blend of roughly 80 percent reserve vermouth and 20 percent vermouth matured for a year in barrel. The base wine grows on the licorella slate of Priorat, a poor steep soil that forces vines to root deep and yields a concentrated, structured wine well suited to maceration with botanicals. The traditional vermouth method infuses wormwood and a wide mix of wild herbs, roots and spices into the wine, with sweetening and stabilisation to fix the aromatics. The portion aged in barrel adds oxygen exchange through the wood, softening texture and layering in vanilla and a faint oak spice over the herbal core. The colour is a deep amber. The nose is spiced and herbal, led by wild mountain herbs. The palate is full and flavoursome, long and persistent, closing on a firm bitter finish. Serve chilled at 8 to 10C over ice with orange, or stir into a Negroni. It suits charcuterie, aged cheese and cured pork.