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Cuneo

White · Artisan · Extra dry

Bordiga Vermouth di Torino Extra Dry

Bordiga

Cuneo , Italia

Re-evaluation pending

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Overall impression

Vermutpedia is re-evaluating the Italian catalogue; the Vermutpedia Score for this entry remains pending until the next tasting round. Bordiga's Vermouth di Torino Extra Dry IGP is the driest expression of the Cuneo distillery, made with Moscato secco, Trebbiano and Cortese according to a historic recipe that exalts aromatic herb infusions harmoniously united with wine. Certified Vermouth di Torino IGP, it responds to classic cocktail demand —Martini, Gibson, dry Manhattan— without renouncing the artisan character that has defined the house since 1888. The formula integrates some twenty-five main botanicals among wormwood, linden, coriander, marjoram, fennel, gentile wormwood, cinchona calisaya, cardamom, quassia, Bourbon vanilla, clove, gentian, sage and citrus peels, plus other Alpine species hand-gathered in the Cuneo mountains. Natural pale straw colour and intense yet dry bouquet anticipate a profile where balanced acidity and bitter edge prevail over residual sweetness. Like the rest of the IGP range, it requires forty to fifty days of production, cellar rest and natural cold-and-paper filtration. A Torinese reference for those seeking Extra Dry with Piedmont soul and generous strength.

Nose and palate

In the glass it presents pale straw yellow, clean and luminous, consistent with an extra-dry vermouth without colourants to mask transparency. The perfume is vinous, pleasantly intense, with layers of dry white wine, dried spices and a slightly floral register that avoids the monotony of commercial dry vermouths. Alpine herbs add resinous freshness; gentian and quassia hint at bitterness before the first sip. On the palate it is decisive and particularly vinous, with balanced acidity that maintains tension throughout the gustatory arc. Evolution is long: it starts from very restrained initial sweetness —typical of Torinese style even in dry— and moves towards the dry bitterness characteristic of wormwood and cinchona, with a mineral, herbaceous finish. Dry texture, without excessive unctuousness, ideal for cocktails where vermouth must make its presence felt without cloying. At eighteen degrees alcohol it adds enough structure for classic mixes and is also interesting in the glass for palates accustomed to aperitivos with little residual sugar.

How to serve it

Bordiga recommends a serving temperature between 10 and 12 °C. It is the house reference for Martini and variants: four centilitres Bordiga dry gin and three Extra Dry in mixing glass or tumbler, with lemon twist, build a Gibson or dry Martini with Piedmont profile. Also works in dry Americano —green bitter, extra dry vermouth and soda— or in risottos and cooking where acidity and bitterness are wanted without sweetness. Pairs with blue or aged cheeses, as the official sheet suggests. Served alone with large ice and pimiento-stuffed olive, it is an elegant dry aperitivo for those who prefer vermouth without excess sugar. In professional bars it advantageously replaces industrial dry vermouths in white Negroni or tonic combinations when more botanical complexity is wanted. 75 cl bottle, natural complement to Bordiga Rosso and Bianco on a serious bar list.

Production context

Distilleria Bordiga, in Cuneo (Piedmont), produces vermouth, gin and amari with Alpine botanicals gathered by local mountaineers since the late nineteenth century. Extra Dry IGP uses Moscato secco, Trebbiano and Cortese as base wines, sugar in minimal dose according to style, alcohol and herb and spice infusions. The traditional process contemplates forty to fifty days before bottling, subsequent rest at around ten degrees for fifteen or twenty days and exclusively natural filtration. Eighteen degrees alcohol, 75 cl, IGP certification and membership of the Vermouth di Torino Consorzio di Tutela. Part of a coherent range with Rosso (Nebbiolo and whites), Bianco (Moscato and Cortese), Superiore Biologico (organic Barbera, fifty-six botanicals) and Excelsior (three-year aged Barolo). For classic cocktails and dry aperitivos, Bordiga Extra Dry is the precision tool of a distillery that does not negotiate on raw material quality or production patience.

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