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Rojo

Asti

Red · Artisan · Medium-sweet

Del Professore Vermouth Chinato

Quaglia

Asti , 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 new tasting round is complete. Del Professore Vermouth Chinato is the third main expression of the Jerry Thomas Project vermouth range, made by Quaglia in Asti under the brand inspired by the legendary bartender and cocktail «professor» of the nineteenth century. According to delprofessore.com, it represents a revival of the popular nineteenth-century recipe combining the delicate bitterness of cinchona with classic vermouth sweetness, on a potent, entirely natural aromatic base of 100% Italian wines. The house describes it as vermouth with distinctive citrus, coriander and vanilla lingering alongside a calisaya china accent, for a long, satisfying finish, suitable as aperitif or digestif. At eighteen degrees alcohol and 75 cl bottle, it occupies a niche between traditional Rosso and G.I.-certified Classico bianco. Chinato is an almost lost style in the contemporary vermouth landscape; Del Professore recovers it with Piedmontese Quaglia craft and the natural-ingredient philosophy defining the entire project.

Nose and palate

The official sheet highlights a profile where the medicinal bitterness of calisaya cinchona dialogues with classic vermouth sweetness without either dominating. On the nose, defined citrus, aromatic coriander and warm vanilla emerge over cinchona and bitter herb structure; the whole anticipates a layered chinato, more complex than a conventional sweet rosso. On the palate, the natural aromatic base brings velvety body and structured bitterness, with calisaya china marking the medicinal-woody axis typical of Piedmontese chinato style. Citrus brings freshness that avoids heaviness; coriander and vanilla lengthen the spiced finish. Eighteen degrees give presence in the glass without reaching digestif liqueur. Round texture, long persistence, balance between semisweet sweetness and wormwood and cinchona bitterness implicit in the category. The result is an author chinato vermouth, verifiable in Del Professore's official description, ideal for palates seeking medicinal and spiced depth beyond the range's standard rosso.

How to serve it

Del Professore presents Chinato as aperitif or after-dinner tipple at room temperature or slightly chilled, without demanding the ice of conventional bar vermouth. Works alone in a small glass, as rosso substitute in Negroni when more bitterness and cinchona notes are sought, or in author cocktails requiring a medicinal-complex modifier. Can also be served on the rocks with orange twist to soften the chinato profile in aperitivo. Pairs with dark chocolate, coffee desserts, blue cheeses and dried fruit, in the line of historic Piedmontese chinati. At semi-dry character and eighteen degrees, it is not a long terrace-session vermouth but a contemplation glass or serious cocktail ingredient. 75 cl bottle, acquisition at delprofessore.com. For anyone exploring the Del Professore universe, Chinato is the link between Torinese tradition and mountain chinati wines, in accessible vermouth form.

Production context

Del Professore makes Vermouth Chinato in Piedmont with 100% Italian wines and natural ingredients, per the philosophy declared on the official range website. The Jerry Thomas Project, in collaboration with Antica Distilleria Quaglia of Asti, recovers nineteenth-century Torinese vermouth recipes; Chinato is the explicit revival of the popular nineteenth-century recipe with calisaya cinchona. Eighteen degrees alcohol, 75 cl, no barrel ageing declared for this reference. The Vermouth di Torino G.I.-certified range includes Classico, Rosso and Superiore; Chinato and Gibson Pickled extend the catalogue with historic and author styles. The entire range respects traditional recipes and authentic experience evolving with each sip, according to Del Professore. For Vermutpedia, Chinato represents contemporary Piedmontese chinato vermouth: calisaya cinchona verified on official sheet, Italian wine base, citrus-spiced-medicinal profile, and the most complex side of the Rosso/Classico/Chinato trio from Del Professore.

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