Vermouth alcohol content

Amerine et ah, 1980). Vermouths are typically classified as sweet (Italian) or dry (French). In the Italian version, the alcohol content can vary from 15% to 17%, with 12-15% sugar. French versions have 18% alcohol with 4% reducing sugar. Dry vermouth contains less herb and spice extract than the sweeter vermouth—about 3.74-5.62 mL/L for dry, and 5.62-7.49 mL/L for sweet (Amerine et al., 1980 Panesar et ah, 2010). 

In California, fortified sweet wines of light color, such as angelica and white port, may be used as a base wine for making sweet vermouth. The desired sugar content is obtained, as necessary, by the addition of grape concentrate or sucrose. The amount of water added as a result may not exceed 10% by volume of the vermouth. Citric acid may be added to adjust total acidity. The alcohol content must be sufficiently high to adjust for dilution when extracts low in alcohol are employed for flavoring. 

Dry vermouths usually have a higher alcohol content, lower sugar content, and are lighter color than sweet vermouths. In addition, they are usually more bitter in flavor. In a typical French dry vermouth, the alcohol content is 18% by volume, reducing sugar 4%, total acidity (as tartaric acid) 0.65%, and volatile acidity (as acetic acid) 0.053% (Joslyn and Amerine, 1964). 

Brandy is added to raise the alcohol content of vermouth to a specified limit. The base wine, brandy, spice extract, and sugar syrup are combined according to a proprietary formula appropriate for each type of vermouth. For Italian vermouths, extracts are prepared by soaking the herbs and spices (7-11 g/L) in highly rectified alcohol ( 85%). For a darker color, after flavoring, caramel may be added. In French vermouth, fewer herbs and spices are used. The spice mixture of (4-8 g/L) is typically infused for flavor development, to avoid the uptake of undesirable herbaceous flavors. 

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) is an important tropical tree widely grown in India. Although its fruit can be used for wine production, its wine is not preferred due to its high acidity. An attempt has been made to convert its wine into vermouth of acceptable quality (Lingappa et ah, 1993). In this process, the base wine was made from tamarind fruit (50 g/L), at 0.9% acidity, followed by raising the TSS to 23 °Brix and adding 150 ppm sulfur dioxide. Fermentation was conducted by S. cere-visiae var. ellipsoideus at 27 1 °C. Both dry and sweet vermouths, with 17% alcohol content, were found acceptable. 

The complexities and interaction of composition on the quality perception of vermouth is illustrated with wild-apricot-based vermouth (Figs. 8.5-8.7). It shows that sweetness, flavor, and astringency are preferred at a sugar content of 8%, whereas body, appearance, and aroma were preferred at 12% sugar (Fig. 8.5). Body, flavor, aroma, and total acidity were scored better at an alcohol content of 19% (Fig. 8.6). The spice concentration preferred for volatile acidity, total acidity, flavor, and bitterness was 5% (Fig. 8.7), whereas body, sweetness, appearance, and astringency were preferred at a 2.5% level (Joshi et al, 201 la,b). 

WINES AND LIQUEURS. Wines, sauterne, vermouth, and sherry, etc., all give a distinctive flavor to foods. When added during cooking, they lose their alcoholic content, but still Impart an Interesting flavor. They can be added to cream soups, and to almost any meat dish, casserole, stew, etc. 

Increased alcohol concentrations augment the aldehyde, ester, phenol contents, TSS but decrease acidity and Vitamin C content. Addition of the herb/spice extract increased total phenols, aldehyde, and ester content of the vermouth. Sensory evaluation showed the sweet products were... 

Juice of the sand pear can also be converted into vermouth (Joshi et al, 1999). The complete process is illustrated in Fig. 8.3. Dry and sweet versions, with various alcohol levels, have been prepared (Attri et al, 1993). TSS, acidity, aldehyde, phenol, and ester contents increase as a... 

The influence of alcohol and sugar content in the composition of apple vermouth are shown in Tables 8.9 and 8.10, respectively. 

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