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Rojo

Cuneo

Red · Artisan · Medium-sweet

Bordiga Vermouth di Torino Rosso

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 Rosso IGP is the reference rosso of the Cuneo distillery founded in 1888, whose secret lies in blending Piedmont white wines —Cortese among them— with a cut of Nebbiolo, the noble Piedmont variety from which Barolo and Barbaresco are born. That combination brings amber-red colour and vinous depth without the heaviness of industrial red vermouths loaded with colourant. Certified Vermouth di Torino IGP, it is made with Alpine botanicals hand-gathered in the Cuneo Alps: wormwood, marjoram, fennel, linden, coriander, citrus peels, cardamom, bigarade, Bourbon vanilla, clove, gentian, cinchona calisaya, sage and other herbs the house infuses according to the traditional forty-to-fifty-day procedure before bottling. After bottling, rest in Bordiga cellars at around ten degrees for fifteen or twenty days and natural filtration complete a profile lighter than many commercial Torinese reds, yet with Monregalese herbaceous elegance. Central piece of the range alongside Bianco, Extra Dry, Superiore Biologico and Excelsior.

Nose and palate

In the glass it shows intense amber red, more ruby than garnet, with luminosity that reveals Nebbiolo presence without reaching the opacity of a young red wine. The perfume is intense and spiced: cardamom, yarrow, hinted saffron, artemisia and mountain herbs intertwine with candied citrus and Bourbon vanilla notes. The nose is complex but ordered, with herbaceous verticality typical of Bordiga vermouths and a vinous background that recalls Piedmont nobility. On the palate it is decisive and very vinous, with medium body —lighter than Excelsior or Superiore Biologico— and a long gustatory arc that evolves from initial Torinese sweetness towards persistent, slightly tannic bitterness, without rough edges. Texture is round but not cloying; sweet-bitter balance is the axis of the style. Spiced finish with gentian and wormwood persistence. At eighteen degrees alcohol it works both in the glass and in cocktails, with enough personality for a Negroni without dominating the gin.

How to serve it

Bordiga recommends serving between 10 and 12 °C. It is the house vermouth for classic Negroni —gin, Bordiga rosso bitter and rosso vermouth in equal parts— and for Torinese Americano with bitter, vermouth and soda. Also shines alone with large ice and orange twist in a tumbler, the Piedmont bar aperitivo par excellence. In the kitchen it adds depth to risottos, reductions and sauces where spiced bitterness is wanted without excess sweetness. Pairs with aged cheeses, charcuterie and salted Mediterranean aperitivos. Given its medium body, it is more versatile than Excelsior in combinations where a rosso with Torinese soul but without Barolo tannicity is wanted. 75 cl bottle, standard IGP range format. For hospitality and home, it is the gateway to the Bordiga rosso universe before moving up to Superiore Biologico or Excelsior with three-year aged Nebbiolo da Barolo.

Production context

Distilleria Bordiga, in Cuneo (Piedmont), has made vermouth since 1888 with Alpine botanicals still gathered by local mountaineers in the Cuneo Alps. Rosso IGP combines white wine and noble Piedmont red wine —Nebbiolo— with sugar, alcohol and infusions of herbs, spices and roots according to certified recipe. The process includes forty to fifty days of production, rest in cellars at controlled temperature and natural filtration by refrigeration and paper filters. Eighteen degrees alcohol, 75 cl, IGP certification and membership of the Vermouth di Torino Consorzio di Tutela. The complete range includes Bianco (Moscato and Cortese), Extra Dry (Moscato, Trebbiano and Cortese), Superiore Biologico (organic Barbera, fifty-six botanicals) and Excelsior Riserva Superiore (three-year aged Barolo). Standard Rosso is the perfect balance between Torinese tradition, relative lightness and Nebbiolo depth: accessible author vermouth within the Bordiga catalogue.

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