Definition
Vermouth derives from wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium), which is used to prepare it and gives it a special aroma and bitter taste.
Vermouth is a flavored wine. It is prepared mixing white wines, especially moscato wines, with alcohol in order to reach a total alcohol content of 17.5% or more, variable quantities of cane sugar, and some extract in proportions that are jealously kept secret by the producers.
The substances used to flavor vermouth come from vegetables and, precisely, from the leaves, flowers, seeds, roots, bulbs, and barks of different plants. In the shape of essences or drugs, in different quantities and combinations, they form many recipes kept secret by the producers and characterizing the various kinds of vermouth.
Among the aromatic herbs commonly used in the preparation of vermouth wines, the most important ones are Artemisia or Wormwood. They include many species, but only some of them are chosen for their fine aromatic scents and tastes: among them, Artemisia Pontica, Vallesiaca, Abrotanum, and Arborescens.