Vermut Peregrino Rojo

Vermut Peregrino Rojo is made by Atlantic Galician Spirits and takes its theme from the Camino de Santiago that crosses Galicia. Unusually for a Spanish red vermouth, its base is the white Godello grape grown in the Valdeorras and Monterrei denominations of north west Spain, where slate and granite soils and an Atlantic influenced climate give a fresh, mineral wine to build on. That base is fortified and macerated with thirty one botanicals, among them the wormwood that defines vermouth alongside aromatic herbs, bittering roots and warm spices, with caramelised grape must or sugar adding the sweetness and the deep colour. The botanical extraction draws bitter and aromatic compounds into the wine, and time in tank marries them before bottling. The colour is brilliant mahogany. The nose shows stewed fruit, cinnamon and subtle herbal nuances, with the freshness of the Godello base still showing through. The palate is sweet and rounded, the ripeness of the fruit set against a herbal, gently bitter backbone and a warm, spiced finish. Serve over ice with a slice of orange as an aperitif, or at cool cellar temperature in a tumbler. It also stands up to charcuterie and aged cheese.