Paso-Vermú Sweet Red Vermouth, 15% vol

Paso-Vermú is delicious: spicy, herby, floral, bitter, sweet, smooth and beautifully balanced. But more than that it’s the kind of heart-warming story we all need in February. It’s the creation of a Shropshire couple, Tom Holt and Emma Williams-Holt, who met when they were working in Tanners’ wine cellars in Shrewsbury back in 2006. After Tom graduated in viticulture and oenology from Plumpton College (encouraged to got there by Tanners), they set off to make wine in various parts of the world, including New Zealand, before finally deciding on the Somontano region in north east Spain for their own wine venture, Paso-Primero (first steps). Their first vintage was 2014, a red wine, in 2015 they added a white and now Paso-Vermú is making its debut.
Joanna Simon, www.joannasimon.com, 15th February 2018

This week I’m going a bit more further afield with the delicious Paso-Vermu from Spain. It’s made by an English couple in Somontano who also produce some very well-regarded wine and being sold by Tanner’s at a very reasonable £15.95. It’s much gentler and more wine-like, you can really taste the wine base, than say Martini Rosso with just a touch of bitterness at the end. It was rather overpowered by the Campari and gin in a negroni but made an excellent Gin and It (equal parts gin and Italian vermouth with ice and orange.) The best way to drink it, however, is like Andie MacDowell in Groundhog Day, “on the rocks with a twist” and don’t care for a moment what the grumpy Bill Murrays of the world might think of it.
Henry Jeffries, World of Booze blog, 15th February 2018