How Martini Vermouth is Made: A Trip to Pessione, Italy
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A Visual Guide to Herbs Used to Make Vermouth

This summer I visited Turin and Pessione Italy with Martini vermouth. The distillery hosts the Martini visitors' center and museum, and in this post you can read about how Martini vermouths are made

On one particularly lovely day, our group piled into cars and drove around the countryside to see the local herbs used to make the vermouth. 

 

  • Turin Countryside5 (2)_tn
  • Turin Countryside4_tn
  • Turin Countryside_tn
  • Martni Porsche Trip3_tn
Martni Porsche Trip3_tn

We turned off into one field where we saw many local herbs growing: a few varieties of wormwood, chamomille, cilantro, and the very aromatic local peppermint. 

  • Martni Porsche Trip wormwood3_tn
  • Martni Porsche Trip Calamus (2)_tn
  • Martni Porsche Trip Calamus (2)_tn
  • Martni Porsche Trip wormwood2_tn
Martni Porsche Trip wormwood2_tn

Then we stopped into a farm cooperative where Martini sources many of the botanicals for the vermouth.  Helpfully they set out fresh and dried herbs that go into the vermouth, so I snapped shots. In the case where I found both the dry and the fresh version of the herb, I've put them together in the image- click the thumbnail to expand. 

 

 Artemisia Absinthim: They grow three types of wormwood locally.

  • Artemisia Absinthim fresh
  • Artemisia absinthium dired
Artemisia absinthium dired

 

 

Artemisia Pontica (Roman wormwood):

  • Artemisia Pontica Fresh
  • Artemisia pontica dried
Artemisia pontica dried

Artemisia Valesiaca:

Artemisia Valesiaca fresh

Artemisia Volgare (Mugwort):
  Artemisia Volgare fresh

 Roman Chamomille:

  • Camomilla Romana fresh
  • Chamomille dried
Chamomille dried

 

Gentian Root, Gentian Flowers:

 

 

Iperico (St. John's Wort):


Iperico fresh
Hyssop:
  Issopo fresh

 

 Melissa (Lemon Balm)

  • Melissa fresh
  • Melissa dried
Melissa dried

Menta Piperita. This is the highly-aromatic local peppermint. 

  • Menta piperita fresh
  • Menta piperita dried
Menta piperita dried

 

Santoreggia (Savory):

  • Santoreggia fresh
  • Santoreggia dried
Santoreggia dried

 

 Tarassaco (Dandelion):

  • Tarassaco fresh
  • Tarassaco dried
Tarassaco dried

 Salvia Sclarea (Clary)

Sapvia scparea fresh
Hopefully that will be a useful guide to some herbs used in vermouth and other drinkables. 

 

Comments

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Brian Robinson

That's interesting. Are the genuses of absinthe different in Italy than in the US, or am I badly translating?

I ask because in classification terms, Artemisia Pontica is also known as Roman Wormwood, Artemisia Absinthium is also known as Grande Wormwood. It would seem as though the labels are mixing up the two.

Thoughts?

Brian Robinson
Media Liaison
The Wormwood Society

stephen

do they make any varietal honeys from all those beautiful fields?

Camper English

The English names are mine from quick googling, so they could be misidentified by me. In a booklet they gave us, Roman Wormwood is identified as Artemisia absinthium L. and what they label simply as Wormwood is artemisia Pontica L. yet it seems that "pontica" would refer to the pope, and therefore Roman.

So, I don't know.

Camper English

I didn't see any.

Mike Surdyka

Such exotic ingredients used..I was completely unaware. Thanks for the information!

William Riley-Land

This is a great help in designing my first vermouth-like liqueur. All the more useful to me because I already grow most of these herbs!

Marius  Schembri

Can you pls give me the receipy of the Vermouth Dry ,. Can you assist me to buy the Vermouth Herbs so that I will try to experiment with it on producing Vermouth.
In the past I used to make it myself from ready made white wine. Adding sugar, caramel, vermouth herbs. Leaving to fermentate for 3 weeks, then syphen with gaze to make it clear. Repeat procedure 3 times and leave to settle for 2 weeks.
I forgot the measurments of the above. Also in my country there is no herbs of vermouth for sale. So I must imort from abroad.
Thanks and regards
Marius Schembri

Craig Linford

I'm looking for the vermouth herb to make a tea out of which is supposed to help eliminate parasites. Can you tell me where to get it?

Camper English

I assume you mean wormwood. You can buy that at herb shops, but I don't know what kind or what dosage (there are many kinds). Best to consult a professional before attempting anything.

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