Giant Steps Causes & Cures Semi Dry White Vermouth (750ml)

"...like summer in a glass... very accomplished and unique... Highly recommended." - martiniwhisperer.com

An elite, top-tier producer, famously named the 2025 Halliday Winery of the Year, Giant Steps' focus on single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay has consistently earned them rave reviews for elegance, purity and finesse. That same care and attention to detail has been applied in making an artisanal Vermouth. Hand harvested, certified organic Viognier grapes, whole bunch pressed, wild fermented in French oak and blended with a host of botanicals macerated separately in a distillate of the mother wine (with help of Four Pillars Distillery). Two styles of Vermouth are produced, but the Semi-Dry White is considered the best. Clean, crisp and refreshing, it resonates winemaking skill, being more akin to a structured dry white than many traditional European vermouths. Measured against bar standards like Noilly Prat, it's lighter, more elegant and fresher, accenting notes of lemon and lime zest, thyme and dried apricots, with a cooling character that finishes with a fine-tuned herbal bitterness; gentian, dried orange peel tang and hints of flor sherry. The discount is of the likes we've never seen in its category - and we may never see again. The quality means you can embrace it as a standalone drink, on the rocks with a twist of orange, or use it to create superb Martinis and modern cocktails like a white Negroni, Boulevardier or Aperol Spritz. Just one caveat - Vermouth doesn't last forever, so once opened, remember to stash it in the fridge to maintain maximum freshness. Batch 04/18 tasted.

Other reviews... a very accomplished and unique product in the range of vermouth’s available, and a thoughtful evolution on the original recipe that suits the current vogue for a grown-ups aperitif...The white version I became quite smitten with. Its like summer in a glass. On the nose its a lovely honeycomb aroma (reminded me of a ripe Marsanne wine actually). It is fuller on the palette than its sister, with a dry finish and you get a hint of citrus, a note of light bitterness at the end, very nicely integrated. It is not floral or spicy like Noilly Prat and is more akin to Dolin perhaps in weight + intensity of flavours. This makes a terrific Martini. If you like yours not so astringent, then this is ideal. You don’t need a dash of Orange Bitters and the semi sweetness rounds out of the cocktail and definitely doesn’t dominate several of the gins I tried. I used about 5ml to 10ml to be safe in the 60ml cocktail and that was plenty. Less is more. Highly recommended. - martiniwhisperer.com

Notes from the producers... Vermouth has a long and surreal history, on the fringes of apothecary, art and medicine. This vermouth has small and exacting measures of botanicals, including wormwood, juniper, gentian, bay leaf, Cinchona bark, Seville orange, Meyer lemons, blood orange, green tea, Timor Pepper, Mandarin, native limes, cumquats and orris root (and many more!). Most of the botanicals were grown on our Yarra Valley Vineyards. The medieval treatise ‘Causes & Cures’ recorded the beneficial and restorative powers of all known herbs and spices.