Professor of History of Vine and Wine – DISAFA, University of Turin

Prof. Giusi Mainardi, professor of Wine History at the University of Turin, member of the Turin Academy of Agriculture, and OICCE advisor, proposed a historical excursus, highlighting how Vermouth has very ancient roots in the famous absinthe-flavoured wines of the Greeks and Romans, then establishing itself as a Piedmontese excellence starting from 1700, in the shops of the renowned Turin liquor makers and confectioners. These, by virtue of the relationships between the Turin and Viennese court, retained the name of “vermouth”, the German name for absinthe, the protagonist plant of the original formulations of this aromatized wine. Since 1800, Vermouth was characterized as an important industrial production, generating a thriving economy, establishing itself as the king of the aperitif and conquering the world, thanks also to the great improvement in transport marked primarily by the opening of the Turin-Asti-Genoa railway line in 1854.