Vermouth Martínez Lacuesta Rojo

Martínez Lacuesta is a Rioja winery in the city of Haro, in the Rioja Alta, and has made vermouth there since 1937. José Martínez Lacuesta acquired the formula from José Jové Arnabat, an industrialist from Villafranca del Penedés, at a time when vermouth in Spain was made only in Reus and Jerez, adding Haro as a third home for the style. This Rojo is the classic, unaged expression of the house. It is made by macerating a base wine with wormwood, the herb that gives vermouth its name, alongside marjoram and a range of aromatic herbs and roots, then sweetening and colouring the wine with caramelised must. The maceration draws the bitter and aromatic compounds of the botanicals into the wine, and a period of resting marries the parts before bottling. The colour is a clear red. The nose is herbal, led by wormwood and marjoram. The palate is sweet and traditional in style, the ripe sweetness balanced by the herbs and a clean, bitter finish. Serve over ice with a slice of orange as an aperitif, or at cool cellar temperature in a tumbler.