Vermut Noilly Prat Rojo

Noilly Prat works from Marseillan, a fishing village on the Languedoc coast of southern France, where the maritime climate has shaped the house style since the early nineteenth century. Vermut Noilly Prat Rojo is built on a wine base fortified to 16 percent and infused with close to thirty herbs and spices drawn from across the globe, among them Spanish orange, Indian cinnamon, Ecuadorian cinchona bark and Venezuelan cacao. The blend then spends twelve months ageing in large oak foudres, a slow oxidative step that rounds the botanical extract and knits the spice and bittering agents together. Cinchona supplies quinine bitterness while wormwood and gentian set the backbone. The wine shows a vibrant ruby colour with mahogany highlights. The nose is intricate, led by clove and a floral lavender lift over orange peel and cocoa. The palate is semi-sweet and spiced, with bitter orange and a dry, faintly cacao-edged finish. Serve chilled over ice with an orange slice as an aperitif, or pour it long with soda. It also pairs with dark chocolate desserts and a plate of hard mature cheese.