Cornish Vermouth Is Toast Of The Town
A Vermouth produced in Cornwall and launched at the London Wine Fair (LWF) is causing a stir amongst industry critics.
The Vermouth – a fortified wine made with a special combination of botanicals – is produced by Knightor Winery near St Austell and was unveiled at the major industry showcase in the capital last month.
Wine critics, merchants and restaurant sommeliers all praised the Vermouth for its versatility, complexity and depth of flavour, pronouncing it perfect as an aperitif or cocktail component.
Knightor Owner, Adrian Derx, was overjoyed with the reception his new product received, saying: “Events like these attract the toughest, most discerning critics and it’s a highly competitive environment for merchants and producers like us. It’s fantastic that our Vermouth stood out to so many experts as something genuinely exciting and delicious.”
Many visitors to the LWF also commented on the eye-catching branding, which features a historic map of Cornwall.
Adrian commented: “”Wine is about place and as such, we love the map design for our labels. Traditional Vermouth labels used brash, colourful designs with heraldic coats of arms, so this is our very own Cornish version.”
To make the Cornish Vermouth a base wine, which is normally used to make Knightor’s award-winning sparkling wines, is blended with an Eau de Vie infused with 24 herbs and spices – many of which are grown, gathered or sourced locally.
The base wine and the Eau de Vie are then left to integrate and mature together, resulting in a intense but balanced Vermouth which can be enjoyed with ice and lemon, or in a cocktail.
Knightor Vermouth is described as: “Elegant and crisp, with citrus, mint and fresh sage aromas and a sweet, pleasantly bitter taste.”
Vermouth was traditionally drunk in Italy as an aperitif, however it became popular chiefly as the main component in classic cocktails including the Martini, the Manhattan and the Negroni.
Mixologists at Fifteen Cornwall have so far created a Classic Martini and a Cornish Negroni using Knightor Vermouth, both of which have been well received; at Knightor the team have also been experimenting, creating a Sweet Manhattan and a Vermouth and Gorse Flower Cocktail.
The Vermouth is available to buy online at www.knightor.com/vermouth and will also be appearing on the back-bars of restaurants, pubs and hotels across the UK.
You can follow Knightor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Knightor or on Twitter at @Knightor_wine