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Vermutpedia

Blanco

Terra Alta

White · Medium-sweet

Vermut Xalar

Coca i Fitó / Xalar

Terra Alta , España

6.5 /10

Vermutpedia Score: 6.5/10

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Overall impression

Vermut Xalar is the Mediterranean venture of Toni Coca and Sílvia Pujol — winemakers of Coca i Fitó (DO Montsant) and Vins Algars (DO Terra Alta) — after four years of research to revive the homemade recipe of Catalan great-grandmothers, according to cocaifito.cat. Not an industrial large-distribution vermouth: it is an ancestral white made with dry wine and Garnacha Blanca mistela aged at least five years in French oak, macerated for one month with more than thirty plants — rosemary, thyme, wormwood, gentian, orange and lemon peel, anise, cinnamon, juniper, among others — hand-pressed in a 5 kg vertical press. The name 'Xalar' — 'to enjoy, to have fun' in Catalan — and Jaume Coca's modernist label cast vermouth as a cultural symbol of the late nineteenth century. 16% vol., 75 cl. For Vermutpedia, it represents author Spanish Mediterranean white vermouth: unctuous, complex, with deliberate bitterness and verifiable enological heritage on the official Coca i Fitó website.

Nose and palate

Clear, bright amber according to the official technical sheet. On the nose it is a changing mosaic: trunk spices, dried flowers, balsamic notes and citrus peels that evolve with each approach — cinnamon, clove, anise, savory, liquorice, nutmeg, basil, sage, dill, ginger, rosemary, thyme, chamomile. On the palate, a fresh, full and intense entry with an organoleptic journey equivalent to the aroma; unctuous sensation and elegant sweetness that gives way to a surprisingly bitter aftertaste at first but fresh and pleasant after a few seconds. Dense texture without heaviness, herbal and citrus persistence, balance between Mediterranean sweetness and wormwood and gentian bitterness. Compared with light Italian whites, Xalar is more unctuous, botanical and deliberate; against bar reds, it offers floral and spiced layers on a barrel-aged Garnacha Blanca base. A white for palates seeking aromatic complexity and integrated bitterness, coherent with the tasting documented at cocaifito.cat.

How to serve it

The house recommends serving it solo and well chilled at 8 °C, without ice — which would dull the unctuous texture — and without added citrus, since orange and lemon are already infused in the recipe in the right measure, according to cocaifito.cat. Ideal as a leisurely aperitivo or after-dinner pour in a wine glass or small cocktail glass where aromatic evolution can be followed. Also in creative mixology: the official website suggests Daiquiri, Sour, Manhattan or Negroni with Xalar as a Mediterranean aromatic base. In the kitchen, a few drops in salads, cakes, grilled meats or baked fish add spice and herbs without excess — the vermouth is very concentrated. Pairs with olives, conservas, seafood and Mediterranean tapas. It does not compete with quick-consumption vermouths with soda: this is tasting and authorship. 75 cl format, 16% vol. For Vermutpedia, Xalar demands cold service, no ice and no extra citrus garnish, as the official sheet prescribes.

Production context

Joint project of Toni Coca (Coca i Fitó, El Masroig), Sílvia Pujol (Vins Algars, Batea) and Miquel Coca; four years of R&D before launch. Base: dry wine and Garnacha Blanca mistela with a minimum of five years' ageing in French oak. One month's maceration and infusion of herbs, spices and flowers in hydroalcoholic solution; manual pressing in a 5 kg vertical press. Main botanicals by importance: rosemary, elderflower, thyme, chamomile, angelica, liquorice, wormwood, clove, gentian, sage, orange peel, nutmeg, fennel, orange blossom, cinnamon, basil, savory, lemon peel, oregano, bay, ginger, juniper, hibiscus, turmeric, coriander, citronella, green anise, star anise and dill. 16% vol., 75 cl; contains sulphites. Sold at cocaifito.cat and shop.cocaifito.cat. For Vermutpedia, Xalar synthesises author Mediterranean white vermouth: barrel-aged Garnacha Blanca, more than thirty botanicals and a service protocol verifiable on the official Coca i Fitó website.

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Same type and style — White · Medium-sweet

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