Rosé Vermouth - Gutemann Brände
Origin: Germany / 18% / Price: ca. 22 € (0.5l)
Just a few days ago (March 2025) we returned from our bar tour in Barcelona, with its tradition of Vermuterias, i.e., bars where 90% of the time only vermouth is served on ice with an orange slice. This prompted me to take a closer look at one of the bottles we recently received. The fairly new Rosé Vermouth from Gutemann Brände, located on beautiful Lake Constance.
I always consider it exciting when quality distillers (in this case of eau-de-vie) play with other product categories. Especially with a long and wide stretching tradition of eau-de-vie distilling in Germany. Gin, and later whisky, is often the usual course of events for many eau-de-vie producers (apart from the obvious choice of fruit liqueurs, of course), but vermouth is normally several steps away.
So what exactly are we dealing with here? It is of course an interesting choice to start with a rosé vermouth, which is the most atypical category in cocktails (dry, bianco/white, red/sweet) and generally a rather new phenomenon. At the same time, it is perhaps the most obvious choice in its color language, but also in its taste profile, in order to convey directly to people not familiar with the category (aka in this case customers of eau-de-vies) what you can do with the bottle or where the taste journey is heading. Red vermouth can seem heavy straight away, bianco is largely quite atypical in Germany (unfortunately, because it's my favorite), and dry is more of a cocktail product here. But nowadays, thanks to the wine of the same color, “rosé” is naturally associated with lightness, fruity, easy, so it makes sense to start here.
The design is timeless and modern, a deliberate splash of color, thankfully not too cliché for a desired new, young audience or intentionally overly “summery”, like some other apéritif products. It's also a very fair price, even for the 0.5l, for a product made in small batches in Germany.
But a few words about the contents, of course, in addition to the more detailed tasting notes below. The base wines are Muscat-Trollinger and Pinot Noir (= Spätburgunder in German). An interesting choice, and it's nice that Riesling doesn't have to be used (again). There are already enough excellent German vermouths to choose from with our beloved national grape variety. Both wines used here are also well known in Baden-Württemberg's wine making tradition, where Hagnau (home city of the distillery) is located in the very south. The state is generally known for its red wines, including Pinot Noir, which is destined to bring some enjoyable depth to a vermouth. Muscat-Trollinger has a fascinating history. With an unknown origin, its origins presumably lay here in Württemberg. It is now used worldwide, but almost exclusively as a table grape (so normally not for wine making but direct consumption). However, in the US it is sometimes used for a sweet wine and not just any sweet wine, but a rosé sweet wine of course.
The famous aromas of the Muscatel part from the base wines extends into the vermouth itself. Similar to the recent article about the Seven Keys Falernum, the product had to be put to a rather personal test. 3 people, friends, both male and female, were absolutely enthusiastic about the aroma in the tasting glass. For me, this vermouth is generally characterized by its focus on the wine base. It leaves plenty of room for this core, and you also immediately notice the special combination of grape varieties. While Italian red vermouths often come across as the “usual”, heavy red wine, robust, etc., this one has more of a fruity, elegant character. The balance in terms of sweetness and acidity of the bottling is also immaculate, everything with “rosé” on the label drifts too frequently and quickly into the very sweet regions. In the future, I would consider it exciting to add at least a limited edition to the portfolio, with a little more focus on 1-2 special botanicals from the region for example, but otherwise I was very impressed with the product. The subtle notes of the used botanicals such as allspice and rosemary come through rather elegantly, but more than enough for an introduction to the vermouth category.
Below the tasting notes you can find a signature drink created by me, the Oaxacan Rose, with which I wanted to emphasize the character of the vermouth. With a hint of fruity cachaça for the fruity notes in the vermouth, the botanicals from the vermouth in turn enhanced with the Luxardo Bianco Bitter, but not too overpowering, and finally a just slightly smoky mezcal as an exciting accent.
Tasting Notes
Nose:
Wonderfully wine-focused nose, the wine base is beautiful in the foreground here, ethereal notes of slightly dried red grapes, rose petals, a little candied ginger, pink grapefruit zest, followed by wormwood and fine herbal notes, including gentian, rosemary, later with warmth more berry notes, cranberries, even raspberries are also present
Taste:
What is immediately noticeable: Great sweet-acid balance, still has the crispness of a fresh rosé wine, but behind it the already dried, sweet grapes, candied pink grapefruit, a touch of wild, red cranberries, wormwood, fresh but not too spicy ginger with light spice from the allspice, lemon balm, dried raspberries, rosemary, bitter-fruity finish, smooth, not eternally long, but nicely balanced and multi-layered
Oaxacan Rose
Recipe:
— 45ml Rosé Vermouth (Gutemann Brände)
— 25ml Mezcal Encantado (or other not too smoky Espadin mezcal)
— 10ml Luxardo Bitter Bianco
— 5ml Cachaça
— 1 bsp rich simple syrup
— 1 dash Peychaud's Bitters
— 3–4 drops saline solution (or a tiny pinch of Fleur de Sel)
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir well and strain into a small, pre-chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass. Express the oils of a grapefruit zest over the drink and slide it around the edges of the glass, then discard.
The bottle was provided by Gutemann Brände, thank you.
