Piemonte, Italy

A salty, savoury and magnificently seasonal Italian dry vermouth. GWI’s first aperitif and digestif producer is back with a BRAND NEW cuvée, buongiorno Chinati Vergano! Tomasso and Pietro Vergano are second-generation makers, creating small batches of balanced and unique elixirs out of a teeny facility in Torino. These earthly delights are made from a base of natural wine sourced from many of our grape-growing heroes, and infused with carefully chosen, regionally significant and internationally treasured botanicals, herbs, citrus & spices. The cheeky ‘Sec’ is brand-new to the lineup, and differs from its siblings in that it is their only vermouth to be made with a non-Italian wine base (the base is estate romorantin from their close friend Thierry Puzelat of Clos du Tue Boeuf in the Loire Valley!) and is the first of their vermouths whose extract (called “concia” in Italian) is prepared from mainly fresh, seasonal, organic ingredients, as opposed to their usual dried botanicals that permit year-round production. FUN FACT! By working with fresh, seasonal ingredients, ‘Sec’ takes about a year to build! First, citrons are harvested for their fresh peels in January, then wild elderflower and acacia flowers in spring, raspberries in July, fig leaves at summer's end (used both fresh and dried) & the almond-y kernels from inside fresh peach pits (they pick the peaches, dry the pits and crush them to obtain the kernels), all macerated separately, layered throughout the year and culminating in 75% of the “concia", while the other 25% is built from dried ingredients like wormwood and peppercorns. Salty and verdant, white pepper, seaweed, brushed minerality, dragon fruit, oregano, white grape, lemon jello & playing with an early 2000s potion-making game. Enjoy with one cube, a twist of lemon or sprig of thyme and a riveting conversation about the value of third spaces.