Vermouth is aromatised, fortified wine — a wine base macerated with wormwood and dozens of botanicals, then sweetened to style — and the right bottle decides whether your Martini, Manhattan and Negroni sing or merely show up. At Del Mesa Liquor, our family-owned store in San Diego, California, the vermouth shelf covers all three classic styles from their three home countries: French Dolin dry, blanc and rouge at $19.99, Spanish Yzaguirre at $21.99, and Italian Mancino up to the cherry-blossom Sakura at $54.99 — all available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
Dry, Blanc and Rouge: Three Styles, Three Countries
Dry vermouth comes from Chambery in the French Alps, where Dolin has made it since 1821 under France's only vermouth appellation (1932) — genuinely dry, at under 30 g/L of sugar, and built for the Martini. Blanc is Dolin's other invention (1881): clear like a dry, sweet like a rouge at about 130 g/L, and the style Italy later copied as bianco. Sweet red splits two ways — Dolin's lighter, alpine rouge against the richer Vermouth di Torino style of Piedmont's Mancino — while Spain's Yzaguirre, made at El Morell in Tarragona since 1884, is the pour behind the pre-lunch vermouth hour. If bitter is your other love, pair this guide with our amaro and bitters guide.
The Bottles in Stock
- Dolin Vermouth De Chambery Dry — $19.99. 750mL, 17.5% ABV. The original French dry vermouth: white wine macerated with more than 30 Alpine herbs and plants, under 30 g/L sugar, from Chambery's last remaining producer — the vermouth that made the classic gin Martini famous.
- Dolin Vermouth de Chambery Blanc — $19.99. 750mL, 16% ABV. The original blanc, made since 1881 from white wine and 32 Alpine plants and spices at about 130 g/L residual sugar — sweeter and more complex than the Dry, and the last authentic Vermouth de Chambery blanc in production.
- Dolin Rouge Vermouth de Chambery — $19.99. 750mL, 16% ABV (32 proof). The original French sweet vermouth: more than 50 alpine botanicals macerated in Ugni Blanc wine, sweetened with real sugar at about 130 g/L, on a recipe unchanged since 1821 — lighter and drier than its Italian cousins, with dried cherry, walnut and orange zest.
- Yzaguirre Classic Sweet Red Vermouth — $21.99. 1L, 15% ABV. Spain's everyday rojo from El Morell, Tarragona (founded 1884): white wine with a secret blend of about 80 herbs and spices, mahogany-coloured, long and intense with a slightly bitter finish — sized and priced for the vermouth hour.
- Mancino Rosso Vermouth — $46.99. 750mL, 16% ABV. The Rosso Amaranto, a Vermouth di Torino from bartender Giancarlo Mancino's Piedmont house (founded 2011): a Trebbiano di Romagna base infused with 38 botanicals including vanilla, rhubarb, juniper, myrrh, clove, cinnamon and orange peel.
- Mancino Sakura Vermouth — $54.99. 500mL, 18% ABV. Mancino's Japanese-inspired limited vermouth: an Italian white-wine base aromatised with 20 botanicals headlined by Kyoto cherry blossom and Italian violet, bottled pink at 130 g/L sugar and made in small annual quantities of about 4,000 bottles.
How to Use Them
Martinis belong to Dolin Dry ($19.99) — try it at a generous ratio before going extra-dry, with a good bottle from our gin guide. Manhattans split by mood: Dolin Rouge ($19.99) when you want the whiskey to lead, Mancino Rosso ($46.99) for a richer, spicier Torino frame. Dolin Blanc ($19.99) is the secret weapon — a white Negroni, an El Presidente, or simply over ice with tonic. Yzaguirre Classic Red ($21.99) asks for the Spanish ritual: ice, an orange slice, an olive, good company. And Mancino Sakura ($54.99) is an aperitif in itself, floral and bitter over ice. Keep opened vermouth refrigerated and finish it within a few weeks. Browse the wider wine collection and cocktail shelves, and see the FAQs page for delivery details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between dry, blanc and sweet red vermouth?
Dry vermouth (like Dolin Dry, $19.99) is pale, herbal and genuinely dry at under 30 g/L sugar — the Martini style. Blanc (Dolin Blanc, $19.99) is also pale but sweet, at about 130 g/L. Sweet red vermouth (Dolin Rouge, Yzaguirre Classic Red, Mancino Rosso) is amber-to-mahogany, sweet and spiced — the Manhattan and Negroni style.
Should vermouth be refrigerated after opening?
Yes. Vermouth is wine: refrigerate it after opening, keep it sealed, and use it within a few weeks for the freshest aromatics. An unrefrigerated, months-old bottle is the most common reason a home Martini or Manhattan tastes flat.
Which vermouth is best for a Martini, and which for a Manhattan?
For a Martini, Dolin Dry ($19.99) from Chambery — Alpine herbs, real dryness, and the historic Martini vermouth. For a Manhattan, Dolin Rouge ($19.99) for a lighter frame or Mancino Rosso ($46.99), a Vermouth di Torino with 38 botanicals, for a richer one.
Where can I buy vermouth online?
Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, California stocks Dolin Dry, Blanc and Rouge, Yzaguirre Classic Sweet Red and Mancino Rosso and Sakura, all available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor with nationwide shipping where permitted.