Vermut Xalar

Coca i Fitó is a Catalan producer, and oenologists Toni Coca and Silvia Pujol spent four years developing this vermouth. The base is white Grenache, a Mediterranean grape grown across Catalonia that brings ripe orchard fruit and a soft, broad texture. The aromatisation runs through a hydroalcoholic maceration of around thirty botanicals, citrus peels and spices, where the bitter, aromatic and floral compounds of wormwood, herbs and peel are extracted into a mix of wine and alcohol before the components are blended and sweetened. That long, careful infusion is what gives the wine its layered, balsamic character. The colour is pale amber. The nose is marked by citrus peel and balsamic herbs, with thyme, white flowers and a clean wormwood bitterness behind. The palate opens with a delicate sweetness, then moves through orange and dried herbs to a long, gently bitter finish that keeps it fresh. Serve well chilled over ice with a strip of orange or lemon peel as an aperitif. It also pairs with salted almonds, charcuterie and grilled shellfish.