Page "Vermouth" Paragraph 7

Several wine grapes, including Clairette blanche, Piquepoul, Catarratto and Trebbiano, are generally used as the base ingredients for vermouths.

From these grapes, a low-alcohol white wine is produced by vermouth manufacturers.

The wine may be aged for a short while before the addition of other ingredients.

For sweet vermouths, sugar syrup is added before the wine is fortified with extra alcohol.

The added alcohol is usually a neutral grape spirit, but may also come from vegetable sources such as sugar beets.

The wine is then placed in large barrels or tanks to which the dry ingredients have already been added.

The mixture is stirred off-and-on until the dry ingredients have been absorbed and the drink is ready for bottling.

Caramel color is added to make red vermouths.

Most vermouths are bottled at between 16 % and 18 % ABV, as compared with the 9 – 14 % ABV of most unfortified wines.