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 ...

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

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 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, Dubonnet and Byrrh.

Americano

Americano uses gentian root 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 and Vergano Americano.

Lillet

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