Austin Hohnke

9.1

Best booze-free offering I’ve tasted during this sadly dry January! Impressive weight and bitterness for not containing alcohol. There is seltzer in the mix so not a traditional Negroni, but it does wonders to lift the cocktail. — 3 months ago

Debra Copeland

9.2

Caramel notes, sweeter on the palate. Makes for a smooth negroni — 3 years ago

Jonty Edwards

8.9

Super interesting deep flavoured vermouth. Level above your normal fare. makes for an INSANE negroni — 3 years ago

Mark Villa

9.2

This wine is absolutely amazing. It pours into the glass as a deep yellow/gold that sort of looks like Chardonnay that has gone around the bend. It has a vermouth-y nose with a whole bunch of maple, vanilla, and celery (!?!?!). When you taste it, it has absolutely not a trace of sweetness. It’s pretty compact at first, but it opens up into something g completely unexpected and delightfully flavorful with a richness that don’t expect ( and really never find) in a white wine. It’s not like anything I’ve ever had, and I mean that in the best way possible. I hope that I can find it in the States at some point as wines from the Jura aren’t very common. Give it a whirl. It’s not for everyone, but quite different and delicious. — 4 years ago

Marc Stubblefield

Wine Sales at Vino Carta and Kogod Wine Merchant

9.0

Super herbal, even for vermouth. With a splash of soda and a citrus twist, pretty perfect as a weekend afternoon apero. Nice in a white negroni, too. — 6 years ago

John Brunner

9.5

one of the best ever! Think Negroni! — 6 months ago

with Jan

Vasudev Vadlamudi

9.5

Sweet but not cloying. Delightful on its own, or in a fancy negroni. Probably the best vermouth I’ve had (though I am not an aficionado!) — 2 years ago

S.S. Mandani

9.1

Vermouth is just an underrated option overall as a stand-alone drink.

I like to first sip a new bottle with an ice cube to understand its flavor notes. But I think my favorite way to drink it is with club soda (Canada Dry is pretty much the best club soda with no added minerals — Topo Chico is good if you’re looking for mineralized soda water). So I add about three quarters of a standard rocks glass with club soda over a large whiskey rock style of ice and then pour vermouth directly over, watching it diffuse with the soda to etch out a light cola, dark amber, color.

This ones got notes of mocha, cinnamon, citrus, cocoa, cola, orange peel, and even some spruce.

Really just all around wonderful coffee cola sweet and savory flavors. I prefer a slightly lighter Spanish style sweet vermouth, but this is a good change up. — 4 years ago

Steven Schafersman

10

This French vermouth is the best dry or white vermouth in the world. It is a wonderful blend of herbs and other botanicals that far outshines common Italian vermouths. It’s hard to find and so good I don’t use it with gin martinis, saving it for vodka martinis, preferably with Belvedere. — 5 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.2

Perfecto!
An old, Chinchona infused vermouth that’s date, anise, bitter luscious.
Based on 20 yr. Oloroso.
W some soda on a hot day, pow!

@Delectable Wine : This is Valdespino Quina.




HISTORY

The history of the aperitif dates back to the 5th century B.C. when Hippocrates concocted a wine-based beverage macerated with wormwood flower and other herbs, which was traditionally used as a restorative and an appetite stimulant. In the late 1700s, in Italy, a flavored wine called "vermouth" was introduced as an appetite booster before meals. This tradition later spread to France and Spain.

In Spain, the aperitif and the "tapa" have together contributed to create a unique "social occasion" which has gradually become a key attraction for the general public and tourists worldwide; that is, the longstanding association of social gatherings with Spanish gastronomy.

The main difference between Spanish aperitifs (Vermouth and "Quina" or Tonic Wine, in particular) and their French and Italian counterparts lies in the quality of the aromatic flavors and the botanicals and fruits employed. Spanish aperitifs are somewhat sweeter and lighter, whereas Italian aperitifs are distinctive for their bitter flavor, while their French counterparts tend to be drier.

VALDESPINO AND
THE ORIGIN OF THE APERITIF

The connection between the Valdespino family and the aperitif dates back to the end of the 19th century and became especially relevant in the first quarter of the 20th century, at the height of the sherry wine boom.

By 1920 the House of Valdespino was already producing several wines macerated with root extracts and botanicals. They were called "tonics" and "quinados" and were recommended as "tonic – aperitifs" or "fortifiers", as shown on the labels of the time.

From 1930 until the second half of the 20th century, The House of Valdespino was particularly active in the production of beverages macerated with different botanicals, fruits and bitter root extracts (cinchona bark and vermouth). The company marketed several wines with considerable success, mainly on the domestic market but also in countries like the USA, where, in the 60s, Valdespino, together with their associate Jack Poust, launched a vermouth with orange called "Tomboe", designed mainly for the younger clientele.

Thanks to the boost provided at the time by the export of sherry wines to England and its overseas provinces, there was a boom in the production of wines made, or rather, macerated with the root of Cinchona Calisaya, whose bark, popularly called "quina", was the basis of quinine, an extract that contributed effectively to malaria prevention.

Since then, Valdespino has been macerating and bottling blends of different varieties of their own sherries.

THE ORIGIN OF
THE "JEREZ APERITIF"

The Estévez family, owners of Bodegas Valdespino since 1999, carried on with this tradition, and continued to macerate old wines from the different Valdespino soleras with various botanicals, natural extracts and fruits. These were small productions and batches, bottled for their own consumption, elaborated experimentally and in advance of what has now become the family's new collection.

The launching in 2021 of "Valdespino Aperitifs" represents an important milestone for the company, since it is a unique range in the Valdespino catalogue.

Valdespino's original "Tonic for the Sick" label, dating back over a century, has been selected in an attempt to recover some of the iconic designs from the family labels museum. The image, somewhere between Art Deco and vintage, has inspired the design, which is intended as a benchmark for today's aperitif ranges.

This is the first time that a Jerez winery has developed a collection of aperitifs by recovering old recipes and original labels from the early 20th century, using Very Old Oloroso Wines from the founding soleras of the Jerez firm, which today constitute our prized "VOS" and "VORS" (Sherry Wines of an average of over twenty and thirty years of age, respectively).


VERMOUTH

A coupage of Very Old Oloroso Sherry Wine (aged for 15 years) and Moscatel, which provides a stylish citrus note. After undergoing a hydro-alcoholic maceration process with bitter extracts of mugwort, coriander, elderberry and gentian, together with chamomile flowers, aromatic cloves, cinnamon, dried Seville oranges and juniper berries, the final blend is then aged in barrels which have previously contained Valdespino Oloroso Wines, all these coming together to make an intense and complex vermouth with a sumptuous balance of aromas.

This vermouth is a signature aperitif with an unmistakable identity characterized by the prominence of the Old Oloroso from Jerez, alongside an elegant dash of bitterness, which is offset by the sweetness of the Moscatel. The result is a subtly balanced taste with unique spicy and citrus notes provided by the botanicals and fruits.

Bright mahogany color with coppery tones.
Intense spicy aromas with hints of Oloroso Sherry.
Citrus notes from oranges, with a lovely, spiced blend of clove and gentian. An elegant, enveloping bitterness resulting in a complex yet smooth palate. Warm and welcoming, faintly sweet aftertaste.
Serve in a tumbler glass, with ice and a slice of grapefruit or orange. Ideal as an aperitif, accompanied by nuts, olives and pickles, it also combines superbly with canned fish tapas such as anchovies, pickled tuna and the like.

QUINA

This aperitif is the result of the coupage of 20-year-old Oloroso Wines with Pedro Ximenez from the soleras of our iconic PX "EL Candado". The procedure involves a hydro-alcoholic maceration process of Cinchona bark (Quina) with gentian root, natural licorice extract and nutmeg, along with a selection of dried citrus fruits, such as grapefruit and Seville oranges.

The result is a stylish, complex, one-of-a-kind aperitif with a bitter refreshing note. The Pedro Ximenez also provides a characteristic nuance of dried fruit (sultanas, dried figs, dates) that makes this tonic wine ever more unique.

A fresh and sweet palate with citrus and slightly tart notes, all wrapped up in a spicy combination of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla … leaning into the sweet reminders of the Oloroso Sherry barrels where it is aged.

Dark mahogany color with coppery tones.
Spicy aromas with vegetal notes from the botanicals and Oloroso Sherry.
Slightly bitter notes of Cinchona, combining well with the botanicals (licorice, nutmeg) and hints of dried fruits (dates, sultanas). A stylish citrus touch and the quinine bitterness bring about a warm, lingering aftertaste.
Ideal as a complement in cocktails (Rum Old Fashioned, Negroni, Mahattan, etc), it also makes for a perfect aperitif in a tumbler glass, on the rocks, with a cinnamon stick and a twist of orange.Serve with crisps, olives and pickles.


BODEGAS VALDESPINO
CTRA. N-IV, KM. 640 - 11408 - JEREZ, SPAIN
Bodegas Valdespino - All rights reserved 2021 — a year ago