Fred Jerbis Sagrestan Vermut 25 Rosso

IMPORTER NOTES:

TASTING: “BOUQUET - Complex aroma of fresh botanical notes, particularly citrus (bitter orange) and herbs. Appetizing; FLAVOR - Very complex, refined flavor of herbs and citrus with a beautifully balanced bitterness on the finish. Fred says ‘Thanks to a special processing of the herbs, the body has fruity notes that range from red fruits to black cherry; the bitter tones come from the maceration of herbs like gentian root and cinchona bark. Rounded and smooth in the end, thanks to the seeds and roots of angelica.' (Note: This may throw a sediment, which is a sign of minimal processing and high quality.)”

PRODUCT OVERVIEW: “Fred Cremasco uses Verduzzo, a high-quality Friulian white wine, as his base and 25 different botanicals in this Vermouth (‘Vermut’ in Italian). As is traditional with sweet vermouth, caramel color is added (the color comes from the caramel normally, not from red wine).”

PRODUCTION: “The base wine is aged for a year in tank with some ullage, to oxidize it slightly. Extraction of botanicals is is by cold maceration of dried herbs, and hot maceration, in nearly pure alcohol. All botanicals are prepared individually.”

INGREDIENTS: “25 different botanicals, as prescribed in an old Italian recipe; including three different varieties of wormwood, two of orange, Gentiana lutea, cinchona bark, masterwort, sage, hyssop and angelica.”

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: “Federico ‘Fred’ Cremasco is a remarkable young producer of Vermouth, Bitter, Amaro, Gin and Fernet from the town of Polcenigo, in Friuli. You could call him an herbalist; he devises recipes for his products from combinations of botanicals, some foraged wild nearby, some grown by him, some brought in from other areas, then creates his elixirs from these botanicals using varying methods of extraction. The Sagrestan line of vermouths was developed as an homage to Fred’s grandfather. He held the position of sagrestan (translation: sexton) of the church in their town and produced wine from the land where Fred now grows his herbs.”