Appearance: Reddish-brown, clear with no particulates. Aroma: Red wine, cinnamon, clove, chinotto. It’s a pleasantly fragrant nose but light and sweet rather than full and robust like the more prized vermouths. Flavour and Texture: Soft, sweet, mildly spiced red wine. Orange zest, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and cinchona with a good balance between bitter and sweet notes. The texture is light but pleasant. Cinzano is sometimes overlooked as being an inexpensive “beginner’s” vermouth, which is reasonable but also unfortunately dismissive. It’s a pleasant vermouth that leans towards a simple sweetness of profile. Some vermouths use dozens of spices and herbs in their recipe (and you can usually tell) but with Cinzano Rosso you get the feeling that the formula is pretty simple. However it is very easy to drink, hugely versatile, affordable, universally available and a solid standby. It works as a spiced wine aperitif neat from the fridge, which is how I’m tasting this sample right now. It will perform adequately in any cocktail that requires sweet red vermouth. Yes, it will be out-performed by almost anything else – but you will generally pay more for the privilege. A good all-round workhorse that needs to make no apologies, but don’t be surprised if your cocktail and spirits journey quickly leads you to a superior vermouth. Nonetheless, I would never reject this from my bar. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars)