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Vermutpedia

Rojo

Castell'Alfero

Red · Artisan · Medium-sweet

Mainardi Vermouth di Torino

Liquoreria Mainardi

Castell'Alfero , Italia

Re-evaluation pending

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Overall impression

Vermutpedia is re-evaluating the Italian catalogue; this entry's Vermutpedia Score remains pending until the new tasting round is complete. Mainardi Vermouth di Torino — marketed as «Vermouth dell'Accademia» — is the author vermouth of Giusi Mainardi and Pierstefano Berta, wine history researchers, produced in collaboration with the Accademia di Agricoltura di Torino, founded in 1785 by Vittorio Amedeo III of Savoy according to liquoreriamainardi.it. The project revives an early twentieth-century recipe — the period of birth and triumph of the Vermouth di Torino rosso — made exclusively with Piedmontese wines and enriched with three historic artemisias: absinthium, pontica and the rare vallesiaca, near-extinct today, plus natural extracts of officinal herbs and select spices. Certified as Vermouth di Torino Superiore at 17% vol. under the IGP disciplinare, it is a niche product of small volumes, not mass-market production. The label reproduces the Accademia's crest, the year 1785 and the monogram of Vittorio Amedeo III in Torinese Liberty style. Mainardi is a member of the Consorzio del Vermouth di Torino. For Vermutpedia it represents the heritage recovery of Piedmontese vermouth: academic history, artemisia vallesiaca, Piedmontese wine and limited production verifiable at Liquoreria Mainardi's official website.

Nose and palate

The official technical sheet at liquoreriamainardi.it describes a golden yellow colour with bright highlights — more ambrato than ruby in profile — a delicate, pleasantly aromatic nose with a fruity sensation from the base wine, and a palate that is sweet, harmonious, frankly expressive and persistent. The three artemisias — among them the vallesiaca recovered to honour the original recipe — generate enveloping perfumes and flavours according to the Accademia project site. On the nose: a balsamic and sociable profile, herbs, spice and moderate sweetness with artemisia bitterness that is present but elegant, in the register of the historic Torinese «vino di lusso». On the palate, equilibrium between harmonious sweetness and structured herbal bitterness; long persistence without aggressiveness. The Piedmontese white base wine — chosen for its specific sensory profile to fit the nineteenth-century recipe — provides fruit and roundness before the maceration of herbs and spices typical of wormwood-based Vermouth di Torino. Compared with industrial Torinese vermouths, Mainardi is more academically rigorous, rarer in artemisia species and more limited in production. For those who value vermouths with genuine historical research behind them, this bottle offers a gustatory experience «molto gradevole e indimenticabile» as described by the house itself.

How to serve it

The official sheet recommends Mainardi as an aperitivo: neat, on ice, accompanied by aperitivo delicacies, oysters, starters and small pastries. Served neat in an aperitivo glass or a short glass with ice, the sweet-harmonious profile and the artemisia bitterness stand on their own as an author aperitivo without needing any cocktail elaboration. In a classic Mi-To — vermouth and dry bitter with soda — it brings historic elegance and herbal complexity that lift the glass well above a supermarket vermouth. Also in Negroni or Manhattan at a softer register, where the 17% vol. and moderate sweetness balance gin and bitter. The limited production and «Vermouth dell'Accademia» character place it as a bottle for special occasions, tastings or as a gift for Vermouth di Torino enthusiasts. Pairs with oysters, canapés, light foie gras and dry Piedmontese pastries. Orders placed directly with the house by phone or email as indicated at liquoreriamainardi.it. For Vermutpedia, Mainardi deserves to be enjoyed with respect for its historical context: neat or Mi-To, ice, and the awareness that one is drinking a 1900 recipe recovered by the Accademia di Agricoltura di Torino.

Production context

The «Vermouth dell'Accademia» Mainardi was born from the work of Giusi Mainardi and Pierstefano Berta with the Accademia di Agricoltura di Torino, a scientific institution founded in 1785 to advance the agricultural sciences. The recipe combines three classic artemisias and the vallesiaca, respecting period formulations and promoting the recovery of this near-extinct aromatic species. Production according to the official sheet: grapes harvested in mid-September, slow fermentation in steel until sugars are consumed, around six months' resting in stainless steel, maceration of herbs and spices for several weeks, racking and organoleptic adjustments, bottle rest of approximately two months before release. Piedmontese white base wine, Piedmontese wormwood, a broad range of herbs and spices from the disciplinare. Note: the historic technical sheet indicates 50 cl and 16% vol. in the earlier version, while the Accademia project declares 17% Superiore; Vermutpedia retains 17% vol. and 75 cl from the catalogue entry. Niche product; orders to giusi.mainardi@ippocrasso.it or +39 0141 822607. Member of the Consorzio del Vermouth di Torino. For Vermutpedia, Mainardi is a vermouth of historical research: Accademia 1785, artemisia vallesiaca, Piedmont, small batch and Liberty-style label verifiable at liquoreriamainardi.it.

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Same type and style — Red · Medium-sweet

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