Questo vino
Grapes
Made exclusively from white wine produced from Arneis grapes grown in the Piemonte DOC area.
Tasting profile
Unusually rich in flavour for an extra-dry vermouth.
Serving and pairing
Serve over ice with lemon zest or use in Martini cocktails.
Label / history
The name refers to Purgatory, the second stage of Dante’s journey in the Divine Comedy, and specifically to his ascent of Mount Purgatory. Written in 1320, the poem follows Dante through Hell and Purgatory on his way to Paradise and parodies Florence’s Renaissance struggle for power. Its use of Italian rather than the customary Latin made it accessible to a broader audience; it was the first book written in Italian.
Alex Ouziel created the 9 di DANTE project with guidance from master blender Mario Baralis. Their collaboration grew from a chance meeting and subsequent friendship. Baralis had spent 30 years learning the craft of vermouth before retiring to the Piedmont hills, where he had lived for 20 years when the project was conceived. Discussions with Ouziel led him to develop a new vermouth recipe inspired by Piedmontese craftsmanship for a new generation.
The project interprets the poem through vermouth, framing the relationship between wormwood and the other botanicals as a struggle for power expressed through wine. Purgatorio Extra Dry was conceived as a reworking of the extra-dry style and was the first vermouth made solely with white wine from Arneis grapes. It continues the project’s practice of using wines from the Piemonte DOC area as the base for its vermouths. Production takes place at the Dr. M. Montanaro distillery.
