Silvio Carta Vermouth Rosso (18%)

This is a red vermouth from Silvio Carta in Sardinia, made from an old family recipe and bottled at 18% vol. Its base is Vernaccia di Oristano, aged for at least five years in Sardinian chestnut casks, which gives the wine depth and a slightly oxidative edge before it is flavoured. The colour is an intense ebony. The aroma recalls the Mediterranean scrub: rosemary, bay, pine needles, resin and pine nuts, with a faint marine note and ripe fruit. On the palate it is intense, supple and round, with ripe fruit balancing the bitterness. The finish is firmer and herbal, ending in a long, fresh mineral note.