Review: Vermouths of Silvio Carta, Complete Lineup
Silvio Carta produces a range of both sweet vermouth and dry vermouth wines from its home in Sardinia. How about a little backstory to kick things off?
Founded in the 1950s by the rebellious winemaker Silvio in Baratili San Pietro, the award-winning company focuses on traditional Vernaccia di Oristano wine production and was the first to produce vermouth on the island. Today, Master Distiller and son of Silvio, Elio Carta, expresses a timeless devotion to the craft, blending tradition with land stewardship to innovatively craft wines and spirits that honor Sardardinian heritage through ethical farming practices and 100% solar-powered production. Marked by harvesting, measured by old chestnut barrels, and forged by distillation at low temperatures, Silvio Carta celebrates the wild wonder of the island’s landscape, and every bottle of wine and spirit is produced with 100% hand-foraged Sardinian herbs and botanicals directly from the family gardens.
Silvio Carta produces two vermouth brands — Mazzini and the more upscale, eponymous brand. We received samples of both brands, five wines in all, for review. Thoughts follow.
Mazzini by Silvio Carta Rosso Vermouth – Infused with Silvio Carta grown helichrysum, rosemary, myrtle leaves, thyme, and artemisia. Sweetish, friendly, and easygoing. A big pop of cinnamon is immediately evident here, the spice pairing well with the flavors of a lightly oxidized rose — strawberries meeting rhubarb somewhere in the middle. Clean and gently sweet on the finish, though never cloying or overly winey like some sweet vermouths can be. Stellar Negroni material. 16% abv. A / $30
Mazzini by Silvio Carta Dry Vermouth – Made from Vermentino and other Sardinian white wines, infused with rosemary, myrtle leaves, lentisk, and artemisia from the Silvio Carta estate. Sweeter than the typical dry vermouth and not overly winey, the vermouth offers an immediate vanilla note, almost buttery at times. A cantaloupe note pairs well with a rather salty and gently bitter note on the finish, here showing along with a dollop of lemon curd. With gin, the vermouth complements things nicely, adding a fruity element to your martini (the drink for which this product was expressly developed). 15% abv. A- / $30
Mazzini by Silvio Carta Bianco Vermouth – Made from Vermentino and other Sardinian white wines, infused for up to three months with helichrysum, Desoleana sage, myrtle leaf, and senecio snakes. Nice balance of sweet, herbal, and funky here, the oxidized wine character complementing notes of mint and sage. Notes of melon are familiar and akin to the dry vermouth, but this expression is more blatantly sweet — and something that’s more fully enjoyable on its own. Bianco Negronis are also suggested, and I concur. 15% abv. A- / $30
Silvio Carta Rosso Vermouth – Made from Vernaccia di Oristano DOC Riserva 2006(!) and infused with estate-grown helichrysum, myrtle leaves, thyme, and artemisia. A bold and assertive vermouth that can stand up to the Cocchi Vermouth di Torino and Carpano Anticas of the world. Tea-brown in color, it’s a boldly nutty vermouth with aggressive, lightly astringent sherry notes — followed by an absolute mouth-bursting amount of fruit. Peaches, apricots, and figs are all on full display, finishing with elements of orange peel and saffron-adjacent spices. Supple and enveloping, it’s a more brooding take on the Mazzini rosso expression, the easy highlight of this lineup, and a vermouth that any Negroni or Manhattan fan needs in the repertoire. 18% abv. A / $40
Silvio Carta Servito Bianco Vermouth – Made from Vernaccia Valle del Tirso IGT and infused with rosemary, helichrysum, Desoleana sage, myrtle leaves, thyme, artemisia, and fennel, all hand-picked in the Silvio Carta gardens. Quite a bit sweeter than the Mazzini expression, layers of vanilla and grapefruit peel lead the way to a lightly oxidized body that evokes Fino sherry. The vanilla really gets its claws into you, though, giving the finish a quite sweet punch that’s not dissimilar to cake frosting. Needs the right cocktail to make it sing, I think. 18% abv. B+ / $40
Mazzini by Silvio Carta Rosso Vermouth
$30
