Bordiga Vermouth Rosso

Pairs with: Rich charcuterie boards, aged Gorgonzola or Parmigiano-Reggiano, dark chocolate truffles, or roasted spiced walnuts

Good for: Lounging by a cozy fireplace on a crisp autumn evening, or acting as the ultimate, indispensable backbone for a world-class, spirit-forward cocktail night

Cocktails: A classic Negroni, a complex Manhattan, a bold Boulevardier, or a refreshing Americano

I am from: Cuneo (Piedmont Region), Italy

The Story: Established in 1888 by passionate herbalist Pietro Bordiga in the Alpine city of Cuneo, this deeply complex spirit is the undisputed global benchmark for authentic, historic Piedmontese aromatized wines. The Piedmont region is legendary because it holds Italy's most prestigious vermouth heritage and the rugged, botanical-rich terrain of the Occitan Alps. Disregarding modern, industrialized production methods that rely on mass-produced commercial extracts, Bordiga completely shatters the commercial template by still using Pietro's original 19th-century recipes. The true magic lies in the ingredients: local master foragers hand-harvest wild Alpine herbs—including the essential Artemisia absinthium (wormwood), gentian root, fennel, and coriander—directly from the surrounding high-altitude mountains. These pristine, uncompromised botanicals are individually macerated in premium alcohol for up to 50 days before being expertly blended with a high-quality base of traditional Italian wines (prominently featuring Piedmontese varietals like Nebbiolo and Moscato) and beautifully colored with natural burnt sugar. It captures a masterful harmony of uncompromised Alpine wilderness and old-world Italian winemaking.

Why You'll Love Me: It balances a remarkably bright, dark-fruit richness with an incredibly seductive, deep, and unapologetically bitter herbal edge. Standing out from overly sweet and cloying commercial Rossos by retaining a genuinely structural, historic backbone of true Alpine bitterness, it bursts from the glass with lively aromas of bitter Seville orange peel, deep cherry, warm cinnamon, and a hint of earthy gentian. On the palate, it delivers a beautiful, exceptionally viscous and round medium-to-full body that is instantly cut by a laser-beam core of tart rhubarb, roasted herbs, and warming wormwood spice. It gracefully sweeps into a long, complex finish defined by a mouthwatering clean minerality, a touch of rich caramel sweetness, and a signature hint of crisp, lingering mountain-herb bitterness.