An aromatised wine (also spelled aromatized) is a

fortified wine Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Comma ...

mistelle Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Commanda ...

that has been flavoured with herbs, spices, fruit or other natural flavourings.

Description

An aromatised wine must have a minimum alcohol content of 14.5% by volume and a maximum alcohol content of 22% by volume according to EU law Council Regulation (EEC) No 1601/91. The majority of older brands come from France and Italy but there are now a range of small 'craft' producers around the world. Other similar beverages described in this legislation are 'aromatised wine-based drinks' (non-fortified) and 'aromatised wine-product cocktail' (blended, lower alcohol drink under 7% ABV).

Varieties of aromatised wine

Vermouth

Vermouth Vermouth (, ) is an aromatized fortified wine, flavoured with various botanicals (roots, barks, flowers, seeds, herbs, and spices) and sometimes colored. The modern versions of the beverage were first produced in the mid- to late 18th centur ...

is the most widely used aromatised wine due to its use in cocktails and famous commercial brands such as

Martini Martini may refer to: * Martini (cocktail) * Martini (vermouth), a brand of vermouth * Martini (surname), an Italian surname * Martini (automobile company), a Swiss automobile company * Automobiles Martini, a French manufacturer of racing cars * M ...

and

Cinzano Cinzano () is an Italian brand of vermouth, a brand owned since 1999 by Gruppo Campari. History Cinzano vermouths date back to 1757 and the Turin herbal shop of two brothers, Giovanni Giacomo and Carlo Stefano Cinzano, who created a new "vermo ...

which are commonplace around the world. Vermouth can be sweet or dry and red, white, pink or orange. It is traditionally flavoured with an infusion of herbs, peels and spices, including wormwood but modern commercial brands are likely to be made with a sweet concentrate of flavours to maintain consistency and low-cost. Other brands include

Punt e Mes Punt e Mes (from pms, pont e mes , " nepoint and a half") is an Italian vermouth. It is dark brown in color and has a bitter flavor. According to its producer, the name refers to the flavor being characterized as half a "point" of bitterness and ...

Noilly Prat Noilly Prat () is a brand of vermouth from France, owned by the Italian company Martini & Rossi, which is a subsidiary of Bacardi. "White" Noilly Prat is the archetype of dry, straw-coloured French vermouth. Noilly Prat now makes Red and Ambre ve ...

and

Carpano Antonio Benedetto Carpano (1764, Bioglio (Biella) - 1815, Turin) was an Italian distiller, famous for having invented vermouth and consequently the apéritif. In 1786, Antonio Benedetto Carpano invented modern Vermouth in Turin, made from white ...

Aromatised wine-based aperitifs

''Aromatised wine-based aperitifs'' are a range of beverages related to vermouth but can be flavoured with many botanicals including

cinchona ''Cinchona'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae containing at least 23 species of trees and shrubs. All are native to the tropical Andean forests of western South America. A few species are reportedly nat ...

bark (the source of

quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to '' Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg ...

gentian ''Gentiana'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the gentian family (Gentianaceae), the tribe Gentianeae, and the monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With about 400 species it is considered a large genus. They are notable for their mostl ...

root and fruit, and typically don't contain wormwood, or flavours of wormwood, that vermouths historically have. Two types include

Quinquina Quinquina is an aromatised wine, a variety of apéritif. Traditionally quinquinas contain cinchona bark, which provides quinine. Quinine was used in treating malaria. Americano is considered either a subclass of quinquina, or a separate varie ...

and Americano.

Quinquina

Quinquina uses

as a main flavouring ingredient. Brands of this type of aromatised wine aperitif include

Lillet Lillet () is a French wine-based aperitif from Podensac. Classed as an aromatised wine within EU law, it is a blend of 85% Bordeaux region wines ( Semillon for the Blanc and for the Rosé, Merlot for the Rouge) and 15% macerated liqueurs, m ...

Dubonnet Dubonnet (, , ) is a sweet, aromatised wine-based quinquina, often enjoyed as an aperitif. It is a blend of fortified wine, herbs, and spices (including a small amount of quinine), with fermentation being stopped by the addition of alcohol. ...

and

Byrrh Byrrh is an aromatised wine apéritif made of red wine, mistelle, and quinine. Created in 1866 and a trademark since 1873, it was popular as a French apéritif. With its marketing and reputation as a "hygienic drink", Byrrh sold well in the ear ...

Americano

Americano uses

gentian root ''Gentiana'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the gentian family (Gentianaceae), the tribe Gentianeae, and the monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With about 400 species it is considered a large genus. They are notable for their mostl ...

as the main flavouring ingredient. The name comes from the French 'Amer' meaning bitter, rather than any reference to 'America'. Brands of this type of aromatised wine aperitif include

Cocchi Americano Cocchi Americano (pronounced: /ˈkɔkki ameriˈkano/) is a quinine-flavored aperitif wine produced by Giulio Cocchi Spumanti in the Asti province of Italy. Cocchi Americano is a variety of Americano. The wine was developed by Giulio Cocchi, a ...

and Vergano Americano.

Lillet

is a French aromatised wine which from 1887 to 1986 contained

. The white (''blanc'') version was an ingredient in "Gin and French" especially popular in Victorian London, similar to a martini or "Gin and It" using vermouth.

References

{{Alcoholic beverages