Vermut de Capçanes

Vermut de Capçanes comes from Celler de Capçanes, a cooperative founded by five families in 1933 in the village of Capçanes, south of Priorat in the Montsant zone of Catalonia. The vermouth is built from wines that carry the full character of Montsant, where vines grow on a mix of slate, clay and limestone soils under a warm Mediterranean climate moderated by the surrounding hills, giving a concentrated, structured base well suited to maceration. Production follows the traditional vermouth method, with the wine macerated with wormwood, alpine herbs, flowers and spices, then sweetened and stabilised; the toasted, nutty character points to barrel contact, where slow oxygen exchange through the wood deepens colour and adds caramel and dried-fruit notes. The colour is mahogany. The body is rich and expansive. The nose reveals a layered set of aromas, with willow blossom and sage to the fore, complemented by toasted nuances, alpine herbs, caramel and dried fruits. The palate is full and aromatic, the sweetness balanced by a herbal bitterness and a long close. Serve chilled at 8 to 10C over ice with orange.