Vermouth isn’t just a captivating craft spirit, it’s a culture. Whether it’s home or professional craft bartenders seeking elevated ingredients for Martinis, Manhattans, Negronis, and other cocktails, or the consumption of vermouth on its own, Italian apertivo culture today is in full bloom. Oscar.697 is at the forefront of this movement, with its boundary-pushing recipes and sustainable focus.
Scuppoz (a word from archaic local dialect that describes the clinking of glasses during a toast) is one part laboratory and one part atelier, helmed by inspired distiller Adriano Cicconi, who today runs the company that was founded by his father, Benito, in 1982.
The grandson of Casoni’s founder, Paolo Molinari, has spearheaded efforts to re-energize this historically important brand and its iconic range of aperitivi and amaro, including L’Aperitivo 1814, Il Bitter 1814, a number of dynamic Vermouths and the legendary Amaro Heritage—while prioritizing sustainable production methods.
Run by the same family since 1961, the Paesani distillery is perched on a hillside in the hamlet of Collevecchio, with the highest peak in the Apennine Mountains, the Gran Sasso d’Italia, as its backdrop and namesake.
One of the most historic Crémant houses in Burgundy, Maison Louis Picamelot is the single reference in the region for character-driven and complex Crémant de Bourgogne wines. This family-run winery has long focused on wines of terroir, sourcing only the finest grapes, harvested by hand, from top vineyards.
Nestled between the ruddy elegance of Volnay and the nutty intensity of Meursault, Monthélie just may be the Côte de Beaune’s best-kept secret, a source of mineral-rich whites and soulful reds in equal measure. Winemaker Charles Boigelot is a young talent already making serious waves in greater Burgundy.
Romain Barolet-Pernot, the family’s fourth generation, has in a few short years turned this modest winery into one of the region’s up-and-coming stars. A more organic approach in the fields has transformed the family’s wines to better reflect Saint-Romain’s terroir soul, its stony energy and high-altitude freshness, like a polished mirror.
One of the more dynamic winemaking teams in the Anjou today is the partnership of Dominique Sirot and Alexis Soulas at Fief Noir. These are wines that are vivacious and pure, honest in their depiction of the true character of each grape and irresistible in their aromatic clarity and flavorful power.
The next generation of talent in the Côte Chalonnaise has arrived—and the name that’s causing a serious stir is Maxime Cottenceau. His exemplary wines are a delicious sign of the extraordinary potential of both the appellation of Montagny, and the Côte Chalonnaise overall.
“We go where the wind takes us,” was long the motto of Nathalie and Benjamin Boyer, two talented winemakers-for-hire, who for many years crafted wines for other domaines across France. After living in regions as diverse as Burgundy, Corsica and Monbazillac, the duo decided it was time to do their own thing and found a perfect piece of land in Fitou, Languedoc.