Organic Vermouth

Following the success of the Rubis red vermouth, launched in 2021, the company's founders David Ramonteu and Kate Galloway began working on a white version. Vermouth has a wine base and is flavoured with herbs, but David says commercial versions of the drink often contain high sugar and preservatives. The two Aubyn vermouths, by comparison, are low in sugar and produced using only organic Chardonnay grapes from Maraekakaho in Hastings, along with Kate's blend of 21 botanicals, chosen especially for each vermouth.

"We've used indigenous yeast - that is, yeast found in the vineyard where the grapes are grown - to ferment the wine base of the vermouth," explains David, who is French and grew up in a winemaking family. "We use every part of the grape - the pips, the stalks, the skins, and add nothing but pure alcohol, and Kate's botanicals - wormwood, lemongrass, sage, thyme, curry plant, kaffir lime, and wild pepper among them - to create the finished product."

There's no sulphur, preservative, or fining when producing any Hastings Distillers liqueur or aperitif, and this extends to their vermouth. "The natural wine movement has gathered plenty of momentum in recent years," notes Kate. "There's a growing appetite for wines that are low intervention, and we believe that focus will soon shift to fortified wines also. Our vermouths will appeal to anyone who enjoys the textures, flavours and provenance of natural wines."