Carpano Classico Vermouth

Product of: Italy

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In the late 18th century, Antonio Benedetto Carpano set up his wine bar in the Piazza Castello, in the centre of Turin, in front of the Royal Palace. Soon after opening, in 1786 he launched Carpano, the original red vermouth.

This was a dry white wine, lightly fortified with alcohol, sweetened and flavoured with an infusion of aromatic herbs. The tradition of blending wines with herbs and spices dates back to Roman times, but his blend of Sicilian wines, herbs from the Piemonte mountains and exotic spices included the all-important wormwood. He had created the world's very first commercial vermouth.

His business was a great success and he was succeeded by his nephew, Giuseppe Bernardino, thus the company was renamed to incorporate his initials, G. B. Carpano.

Carpano Classico is descended from that original 1786 sweet, red vermouth and continues to be made from dry white wine, fortified with alcohol, sweetened with sugar and flavoured with an infusion of aromatic herbals. The original recipe has remained unchanged throughout the generations, apart from a few technical improvements introduced to improve product stability. Moscato wines from Piedmont – the strongest wines of southern of Italy – are used and Branca particularly favours those from Sicily.

The well-kept secret of Carpano's vermouth range lies in the dark aromatic essence which these wines yield, imparting a unique and distinctive flavour.