Cocchi - 'Vermouth di Torino' - Vermouth - Asti, Piemonte, IT - NV

Notes from the Winery/Importer

Vermouth di Torino is a collective heritage of Piedmont, which sees in the royal Savoy court as first big promoter of a product which, mainly starting from the late XVIII century, generated a flourishing industry which led Piedmont to become the Kingdom of Vermouth. Storico Vermouth di Torino is still produced according to the original recipe of Giulio Cocchi. This vermouth belongs to the category of the sweet vermouths, or Italian vermouths, sweet and amber as indicated in the manuals of the late XIX century. Storico Vermouth di Torino Cocchi has been the protagonist of the international rebirth of the top-of-the-range vermouths and the renovated interest of the great barmen for the denomination Vermouth di Torino so that it is also familiarly denominated “Cocchi Torino”. In a very short time, it’s become one of the top-of-the-range Vermouths chosen in the best bars of the world. CHARACTERISTICS The original recipe of Giulio Cocchi calls for the use of herbs such as Cinchona and rhubarb which lightly colour of brown the beautiful clear wine. In order to emphasize its amber tone, the addition of sugar browned on fire emphasizes its amber tone, giving together with colour also a special note to the taste: crunchy and cotton candy able to round all the bitter tastes without using vanilla. A thrilling vermouth, rich in sensations: among the herbs and the aromatizing spices, Artemisia and citrus are the protagonists with their balanced bitter and citrusy notes which characterize Cocchi style. A rich taste with vibrant notes of cocoa and bitter orange. From the infusion of some noble and balsamic woods, we have in the end light aromas of camphor and rosemary notes. Among the minor ingredients, herbs and woods with unique perfumes such as sandal, musk, myrrh and nutmeg. HOW TO DRINK Delicious when pure on ice and a small lemon zest, but also an essential base for the creation of the most classic cocktails from Negroni to Manhattan.

Notes on the Producer

Giulio Cocchi was a young and creative pastry chef from Florence, where he worked in the most popular bar located in Piazza del Duomo. In the late nineteenth century he moved to Asti, a small but lively town in the north west of Italy, not far from Torino. Cartolina CocchiThe legend tells that he fell in love with the owner’s daughter of one of the bars at Piazza Alfieri – the main square in Asti. It seems that his love was corresponded and that is why that bar is still called today Bar Cocchi – a central point in town. There, fascinated by the local food and wine tradition, he discovered Asti as being the capital of Moscato and the local wide-spread attitude to blend wines with herbs and spices. In 1891 Giulio Cocchi based there his activity as a distiller and sparkling wine maker. He was able to offer a range of special aromatized wine. Particularly Barolo Chinato, Aperitivo Americano and a few different Vermouths became well known and very successful quite soon. Giulio Cocchi had the great idea of establishing authorized retailers where people could taste his products. In 1913 there were seven Cocchi tasting Bars in Piemonte that soon became twelve. Giulio Cocchi completaCocchi’s original products and recipes was well-known during Belle Epoque and on the versatile scene of the Futurist period. Cocchi’s products and name were soon spreading worldwide, as shown by exportation documents to New York, London, Sydney, Colonial Africa and Venezuela, where the “Casa Cocchi de Venezuela” was founded and run for a long while in Caracas. Since 1978, Giulio Cocchi is owned and operated by the Bava Family, themselves highly renowned wine producers in Monferrato and Langhe. Today the winery still maintains its artisan character and follows the original recipes, formulated by Giulio Cocchi in 1891, to craft the distinctive wines that have made the Cocchi a cult name. Among the results of last 30 years, the defense of Barolo Chinato from forgetfulness and the relaunch of Vermouth di Torino category. Storico Vermouth di Torino since 2011 has been the driving force for the rebirth of the top-of-the-range Vermouth di Torino on the international scene. Not to be forgotten the attention for the sparkling wines, with the committment for the valorization of Alta Langa DOCG. Cocchi produces, since 1891, wine-based aperitifs and hundred percent Piedmontese sparkling wines following the best traditions of Asti area. The winery has inherited from the founder Giulio Cocchi an unlimited liveliness and a deep quality research leading its products to be known and appreciated in the five continents. All Cocchi products are wine-based and the recipes are those of the past, concealed upon the insights and intuitions of the same Giulio Cocchi. What defines Cocchi style is then its elegance and authenticity: the quality of the wine and of the other ingredients, the century-old technical expertise and a passion and creativity that have never failed over the years. Since 2012 Giulio Cocchi is inscribed in the National Register of the Historic Companies in Italy for its first 130 years of uninterrupted activity.