Spain Wins Big at Excellence Vermouth Awards

The Excellence Vermouth Awards were recently held at the Hotel Intercontinental in Madrid as part of a larger event called Las 12 Horas del Vermut. These events brought together the biggest names in vermouth in the nation’s capital, with more than 50 vermouths participating in this increasingly-popular annual event. This included Golfo, La Mundial, La Chelo, Zecchini, Lustau, and González Byass. Attendees included both industry professionals and consumers and fans.

For the competition, competing vermouths were blind tasted by an international panel of experts in the second edition of the awards. The panel was comprised of vermouth experts, industry professionals, sommeliers, etc. and included Pilar de Haya, Carmen Garrobo, Javier Rueda, and Federico Oldenburg.

Although 4 Italian vermouths received medals, Spanish vermouths performed especially well. In the Special Vermouth category, Universo Rojo received the gold medal and Alvear Artesano the silver medal. In the White Vermouth category, Biermú Blanco de Prada a Tope and Vermouth Guerra Reserva Blanca de Vinos de Bierzo got silver medals. In the Vermouth Tinto category, Dos Déus Origins Vermouth, Vermouth La Janda by Álvaro Domecq, and Vermouth Guerra Reserva Rojo Vinos del Bierzo all received silver medals.