Vermouth Iris Dorado Reserva, Tarragona, De Muller S.A

This hand-crafted Vermouths have been made following the same original recipe used from its very beginning since founding of the winery in 1851. Since then, each time a combination of around 50 out of 150 botanical are used and infused by white wine, many of which are native to the winery’s local mountains setting. They are actual plants for their infusions, rather than the concentrates used by many producers. Highly guarded, the recipes included a selection of oak-aged wines aromatized with typical Mediterranean roots and aromatic plants: chamomile, rosemary, ginger, cinnamon, orange peel, oregano & vanilla...etc. The wine is then fortified with Molasses, a liquor made from molasses, and lightly sweetened.

I visited the winery in May 2017, it is is relocated in Reus, near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Catalonia next to Tarragona. Reus is considered the centre of Spanish vermouth and De Muller is historically regarded as one of the top producers in the country.

Their Vermouth Reserva is produced in a manner similar to Sherry and was recently named “Best Vermouth in Catalonia.” The wine is long ageing in small oak barrels which have been used previously to age their “Vino de Misa” (which a product well known world-wide for being the supplier of the traditional Mass wine and for its rancio(Oxidized) and fortified wines) and also in French and American oak barriques from their wines in other winery such as Priorat. The result is a smooth and fresh quite aromatic vermouth, marked by its Mediterranean character, spices, herbs, licorice, raisins, caramelized notes, sweet sensations intermixed with the pleasant bitterness towards the end which gives it a long and remarkably aftertaste, giving it more body and smoothness than traditional vermouth.

At present, they offers a very wide range of quality wines under the DO Tarragona and also in Priorat and Terra Alta. From 1996 till today, the new winery surrounded by its vineyards is located in the finca “Mas de Valls” in Reus (Tarragona), their modern installations have a capacity for a production of four million litres, here they elaborate the Tarragona wines all sourced from their 150 Ha. Self owned vineyards. They also have a property in the village of El Molar, in the south-eastern part of el Priorat, 34 Ha. of vineyards “Mas de les Pusses” that I also visited, nice valley and flowers are every where. And a new cellar with a capacity for 500.000 litres where it is produced the DO Priorat wines.

STYLE : Aromatized, fortified aperitif sweetened wine.

Vinification: Neutral wine, aromatized with 150 botanicals & fortified with Molasses liquor which is the Vermouth got the colour and lightly sweetened.

TASTING NOTES: A warm, copper color. Intense, spiced nose of cinnamon and vanilla with an herbal background of sage, rosemary and licorice. A rich mouth follows with continued flavors of cinnamon and vanilla, complimented by layers of chamomile, laurel and coriander.

SERVING: Traditionally enjoyed neat, ideal as aperitif. To be served cold on the rocks or with soda, and garnish with an orange peel or slice. Excellent in cocktails too.

2018-09-11 Horace Cheung