Silvio Carta’s Bianco Vermouth is a blend of young Vernaccia IGT wine infused with elicriso, Desoleana sage, myrtle, and senecio serpens.
The origins of this Vermouth are steeped in WWII era Italian bootlegging. Wine production was low and what little was produced would fall victim to government foodstuffs requisitions. To circumvent this many winemakers would hide their wine in 20L terracotta containers, sealed with large, cumbersome corks and hidden in the most remote parts of their property under sticks and branches. The story goes that during the summer of 1945 Elio Carta’s grandfather forgot about one of these staches until the following winter. He was sure that the wine would have become rancid, however, upon trying it he was astounded to find that it was still good and had acquired a pronounced floral bouquet. It turned out to be coming from the cork, where some spontaneous plants had grown: one of these was senecio serpens, which was responsible for the most intense aromas. With some finessing and a dash of sugar, an early iteration of the Silvio Carta Vermouth was accidentally created.
Official Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fresh with green herbal scents, minty highlights and ripe stone fruit.
Palate: Intense, soft and round, with pronounced layered flavours of herbs and eucalyptus over a foundation of vanilla and velvety stone fruit flavours.
Silvio Carta
It was the early 1950s when Silvio Carta founded the eponymous company in Baratili San Pietro, immediately devoting himself to the most traditional of the local wine productions: Vernaccia di Oristano. Sixty years have passed since then, and the family-owned company, now with Silvio’s son, Elio at the helm, have expanded their horizons to also include world-class spirits, liqueurs and aperitifs. Thanks to the superior quality of their liqueurs and spirits Silvio Carta has become one of the most influential companies in Sardinia, and has earned a great reputation well beyond their regional borders.
Elio is a oenologist turned distiller – he is meticulous about the quality of the botanicals used in every infusion, which are always used fresh, and less than one hour after being harvested. Elio is also a steward of the land, knowing how to sustainably use wild plants and monitor growing cycles to ensure each flower, leaf or berry is harvested at its best and handled most delicately. The motto that guides all the company’s work is contained in the simple expression “harmony of nature”, a historical title of many of Carta’s advertising campaigns, and which translates into some essential points: respect for ancient traditional recipes in order to preserve the flavours and aromas of a time and place, while preserving precious environmental health.
