Flavors · Turin

Vermouth di Torino

A flavored wine made with wormwood, herbs and spices, born in Turin at the end of the 18th century. Drunk neat or in cocktails, it is the base of the Turin aperitivo and has its own geographical indication.

Traditional drink from Turin, Piemonte

Also known as: Vermut di Torino, vermute, vermouth

Updated November 2026

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Vermouth di Torino — Turin, Italy — Vermouth di Torino

Vermouth di Torino — Turin, Italy

Vermouth is a flavored wine: a white wine, often with moscato, is infused with herbs, roots and spices, sugar and alcohol. Wormwood, called Wermut in German, is the plant that gives the bitterness and the name. There are white and red versions, which can be sweeter or drier.

Turin is associated with the birth of modern vermouth. The most cited date is 1786, when an herbalist working in a liqueur shop in the square now called Castello is said to have created the modern formula. The drink reached the court of the House of Savoy and, in the 19th century, began to be exported.

In the 19th century the so-called vermouth hour became established in Turin, about an hour before dinner, when the drink was served with small plates of olives, anchovies, peppers and cold cuts. It is one of the roots of the Italian aperitivo. Vermouth is also an ingredient of classic cocktails such as the Americano, the Negroni and the Manhattan, and of the Milano-Torino, which pairs Milanese bitter with Turin vermouth.

Since 2017, Vermouth di Torino or Vermut di Torino is a protected geographical indication, requiring production in Piedmont and wormwood from the region. City initiatives, supported by official tourism and the Chamber of Commerce, have revived the vermouth hour in bars.

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Where it comes from

Turin , Piemonte
A flavored wine born in Turin in the 18th century, protected by the Vermouth di Torino geographical indication.

Ingredients

Wine, generally white and often with moscato, wormwood, other herbs, roots and spices, sugar and alcohol.

How it is eaten

Neat, chilled or on ice with an orange peel, as an aperitif before dinner, or in cocktails; served with snacks.

When it is eaten

All year round, at aperitivo time, before dinner.

Your questions

Questions about Vermouth di Torino

Was vermouth born in Turin?

Turin’s official tourism presents the city as the birthplace of vermouth, with the most cited date being 1786.

What is the vermouth hour?

A 19th-century Turin custom: drinking vermouth about an hour before dinner, with small snacks.

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