Vermouth has a longer history than it might seem when it’s served over ice with a slice of orange. We’re talking about a drink with over two thousand years of evolution, one that went from being a medicinal remedy in ancient Greece to becoming one of the most deeply rooted
Vermouth has a longer history than it might seem when it’s served over ice with a slice of orange. We’re talking about a drink with over two thousand years of evolution, one that went from being a medicinal remedy in ancient Greece to becoming one of the most deeply rooted aperitif rituals in Mediterranean culture. At Bodegas Valdepablo we have been part of that history for nearly a hundred years, and we’re convinced that knowing it makes the glass taste a little better.
The history of vermouth: from Ancient Greece to Turin
Tradition attributes the origin of vermouth to Hippocrates, the Greek physician born around 460 BC, who macerated wormwood flowers and dittany leaves in wine to obtain a preparation with digestive properties. That drink, known during the Middle Ages as Hippocratic wine, would be the most distant predecessor of what we have in our glass today. The connection between vermouth and medicine stems from the fact that wormwood was used precisely for its bitterness and its effects on the digestive system, and its name in German, wermut, is where the word we use today comes from. On our about us page we tell the story of how that tradition of botanicals and recipes passed down from generation to generation made its way to Terrer, Calatayud.
The history of vermouth as a commercial drink begins in the 18th century in Turin. It was there that Antonio Benedetto Carpano developed, in 1786, a herb-macerated wine that became the official drink of the House of Savoy. From that moment on, it became a fashionable aperitif that spread throughout Europe. Houses such as Cinzano and Martini consolidated the Italian style, while France was developing its own drier version. Two distinct characters, one common origin.
Spain entered that story in the second half of the 19th century, and it did so in its own way. Vermouth arrived through Catalonia and the Basque Country via trade with Italy and France, and quickly found its place in bars and taverns. The vermouth hour became a moment of gathering before lunch, with olives, anchovies and conversation. In our vermouth range, respect for that tradition and nearly a hundred years of work perfecting each recipe live side by side.
Vermouth in Spain: how the history of vermouth reached the present day
The 20th century consolidated vermouth as part of the Spanish social landscape. In cities such as Barcelona, Madrid and Zaragoza, family-run wineries developed their own recipes using local grapes and regional botanicals. Bodegas Valdepablo was born in that context: in 1928, Juan Manuel Pablo began producing vermouth in Terrer using his own recipes, and since then four generations have kept that tradition alive.
The road was not always straight. During the 1970s and 80s, the aperitif lost ground to other drinks, and many small wineries disappeared. But vermouth has a resilience that few products can match, and in the 2000s it experienced a revival that has now lasted more than two decades. Today there is a new generation of drinkers looking for vermouths with origin and character — something we at Bodegas Valdepablo have always done. If you’d like to explore that range, our online shop has all available varieties.
That renewed interest has also driven new productions within the tradition. The Biomio range, our organic vermouth with organic certification, applies everything that the history of vermouth has taught about botanicals and maceration, using grapes from organic farming. The result is a vermouth that looks back to its own origins, when ingredients had a known provenance and the process was carried out with time and care. If you’d like to learn more about botanicals, styles or production methods, our blog features content on all of this, written with care.
