Paragraph Publishing is a British publisher specializing in the world of liqueurs and spirits. In addition to being in charge of a good number of magazines dedicated to different types of liqueurs, they also publish the annual World Vermouth Awards, choosing the tops ones in the world.
In the 2021 edition, in the category of vermouths, the prize for the best semi-sweet one has been awarded to a Basque maker: Astobiza.
Vermouth Astobiza best World Vermouth Awards 2021
This is the only drink of this type produced with a grape that is specific to the Basque Country, Hondarrabi Zuri, and it is also the base for our txakoli.
This Basque bodega, known for its high-quality wines, explains the “secret” to their product:
“This is the first vermouth in the world made from the Ondarrabi Zure white wine grape, collected by hand at the Astobiza Vineyard; to it we add the cereal alcohol with juniper from our London Dry Gin (best gin in Spain in 2020 in the World Gin Awards), and adjust its mellowness through grape must, and macerate diverse botanicals selected with great care with different times. Among them, the presence of absinthe and local citrus stand out.
The concept of vermouth comes from Damajuana Nº. 3, of the 12 Damajuanas that we’ve used to create hundreds of trial tastings by the Astobiza team over the past few years. The goal to reach: balancing bitterness and acidity on a long, clean, and fresh palate, maintaining the Atlantic character of the wines we craft and at the same time maintaining the gastronomic profile that characterizes us.
The controlled maceration of the secret botanicals is divided among citrus, herbal, and bitter.”
Our congratulations to the winery, and we promise to give it a try as soon as possible. Their txakoli has always been a favorite of ours, and we’re sure their vermouth will be a delight.
And we can’t help but highlight what they’ve put on the label: Proudly Basque made.
World Vermouth Awards – 16/4/2021 – Great Britain
Best Semi-Sweet Astobiza Vermouth
This has got a lovely nose, bight, floral, sweet garden fruit, this twists wonderfully into something a little drier with some nice bitterness from the herbs right on the finish”
