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glossary (Ver - Vod)

Vermouth
The writing "Vermouth" is only allowed to be used for Italian and french products. Vermouth originally comes from Turin. Two Italians, the inventor d'Alessio and the trader Carpano, sold such a drink for the first time in 1786. Still today, the main place of the most known export company is Turin. Besides the mostly sweet Italian Vermouth, there is also dry French Vermouth, which is excellent to mix it with other products.
Regulations by law:
In Austria and in Germany, the common law-regulation about blended wines or liqueurs are recognized.
In Switzerland
Vermouth (vermouth-wine) is a drink, which is produced from natural wine or south-wine, alcohol, sugar and an extract produced from alcohol, spirit, wine or water and different aromatic plants or part of plante; especially vermouth-herb. Vermouth has to containat least 70 % of wine. The alcohol content should not be less than 15,5 Vol.- % and not more than 18 Vol.- %.
Production:
Vermouth is produced from at least 75 % basic wine and added Mistella (dumb mixed grape juiceÄ), herbal extracts and sugar. The herbs are leached in alcohol. The vermouth herb dominats and gives the typical, slightly bitter taste to the drink. Also added are: Juniper Ysop, orange- and lemon peelings, anise and star anise, cinnamon, coriander, gloves, balm (mint), camile and sage. Firstly any muddy substances are bound by Gelantine and filtrated. Then a warming uo to 70 degrees takes place to kill the micro-organisms. Finally, it is cooled down to minus degrees for a few days again to remove wine-stone and other unpleasant substances. The storage in barrels for months adds the final ripening to the Vermouth. All these processes are necessary to get a 'round', 'stable' drink, which resists enormous heat in hot countries as well as fridge-temperatures. Vermouth has a few additional descriptions depending on taste and colour.
Secco, extra dry, very dry: light yellow Blanco, sweet: dark Yellow Rosé, semi-sweet: rosé Rosso, sweet: reddish brown Amaro, bitter-sweet: reddish brown
Known Vermouth-products:
Cinzano, Martini, Gancia, Punt è Mes (Carpano), Mirafiore, Ricardonna (all from Italy); Noilli Prat, Chambéry, Nugue Richard, Picon, Napoléon (all from France); Stock, Lindherr, Verdino (all from Austria)

Verveine du Velay
Auvergne is the home of Verveine du Velay. At the upper Loire, especially in the region around Velay, many plants and herbs grow, like for example vervain (=verveine), which gave the name to the liqueur. Besides the vervain, 32 other plants are necessary to produce Verveine du Velay. In 1859, the liqueur was produced fro the first time by somebody called Monsieur Pagès, who was a distiller in Le Puy. Since that time, the recipe has been passed on from father to son for five generations. Until these days, the mixture proportions of spirit and cognac with sugar, honey and 33 herbs are secret. Cognac is mixed with spirits from Midi to produce Verveine du Velay. The herbs stay in the alcohol for more than 20 days to pass on their natural aroma to the alcohol. Distillation takes place in cooper distilling stills. After 24 hours, a 90 % - alcohol is produced, the "Soul" of the liqueur. Yellow or green Verveine de Velay is mixed out of it with the help of sugar or honey. Both liqueurs ripen afterwards in barrels for at least ten months. The yellow liqueur is mild, sweet and contains 43 % of alcohol, the green one is strong and contains more alcohol (55 %).

Veuve Clicquot
La Veuve Clicquot was one of the famous widows of the Champagne-history. Her and Veuve Pommery were the first French businesswoman, who had a big career. Madame Cliquot lived from 1777 to 1866. This is also the time of the big raise of champagne-production. Despites revolution and Napoleon's wars, the production of Champagne became a serious economic branch. La Veuve Clicquot took over the business of the House, founded in 1772, in 1805, after her husband, the champagne-trader François Clicquot, died after two years of marriage. Nicole-Barbe Cliquot, a born Ponsard and well-protected patrician's daughter, was very young, but already clever enough to select excellent experts to become her partners. She is supposed to have invented the so-called shaker's place, together with the German cellar master Miller, which is still important in the champagne production of today. The bottles are place with their head pointing down in this instrument, and each day they are raised and turned a bit more upwards. After three month, they are nearly in a vertical position, and the fermentation's remains is collected in the bottle's neck, where it can easily be removed. The champagne is crystal clear, and soon there was hardly a producer not producing after the Madame Clicquot's methode. Whether Madame Clicquot has really been the first "shaker" is disputed. It is possible, that Ruinart had worked with similar means earlier. But not disputable is, that Clicquot has been the first House working systematically with shaking instrument. And it is supposed, that this also explains, that Madame Clicquot has been the first getting the removal of the yeast from the champagne right. Closly linked to the history of Clicquot are names like Kessler and Werle. Georg Kessler from Heilbronn did not only learn the art of champagne-distillation while staying with the widow, but also took over her House in 1824. But after Kessler got married, his relation to the Madame got worse. Finally, he went back to Germany and found the first German Sparkling Wine Cellars in 1826. Eduard Werle from Hattersheim at the river Main, became descendant of Kessler, he stayed in France, became a French, called himself Werlé and finally ended up being the major of Reims. Together with his son, Dike Werlé, he lead the House Clicquot to the top of French champagne-cellars. When Madame Clicquot died in 1866, the Werlés became the only owners of the House. Quality was highest priority for Werlé as it has been for the Veuve Clicquot, which did not change until today. None of the used wines at Veuve Clicquot is marked under 97 %. Available from Veuve Clicquot-Ponsard in Germany are: Demi-Sec, Brut, Brut Carte d'Or Vintage, Brut Rosée Vintage, La Grande Dame Vintage.

Vielle Abbaye
The distillery la Vielle Abbaye is situated in Deves, which is a town not far away from the noble seaside resort Deauville. The heart of Normunder and of Calvodus is situated around Deves: in "Pays d'Auge". Pays d'Auge has the highest quality within the different quality-steps (Appellation Controlée) of the Calvados. The best "Crus" of the cider are produced here; and they are distilled twice in traditional copper stills according to the prescriptions. The long ripening time of Calvados takes place in oak-barrels. There was never an Abbey, where the distillery "Distillery de la Vieille Appaye" is situated today. The distillery got its name from a wine-trader's shop "La Vieille Abbaye", which was situated on this place before. The only things, that reminds on a Abbey is: The director of Distillery is called "Père Abbé" inside of the distillery. The Vieille Abbaye Calvados du Pays d'Auge is availabe in Germany as quality V.S.O.P. (43 %), Hors d'Age (42 %) and 25 Ans d'Age (42 %).

Vieux, vieil, vieille
Old. Mostly to be found on labels of Calvados, Armagnac, Cognac etc.

Vinasse
It is a description of the age of at least four years stored Cognac, invented by Richard Hennessy. The short for "Very Superior Old Product" is interpreted in a funny way in France saying "Versez sans oublier personne" - "pour out and do not forget anybody".

Vintage
describing the years of growing of wine, mainly to be found an Champagne-bottles or Port-bottles. Vintage are always excellent.

Vodka
The Russian national drink Vodka (German: Wodka, Wasserchen) comes from Poland originally. The word actually described different waters being healthy. The exact time of the first alcoholic distillation is unknown. But it is for sure, that the wood needed for the distillation caused a pretty big lack of fire wood for the people in towns. In former times, Vodka was hardly known outside of Russia and Poland. But after World War I, Russian Immigrants started a relatively small Vodka-production outside of their former home-country. Production and sale was mainly focused on Berlin in Germany at the beginning. The Vodka-era of the western world finally started the last 20 years ago. In the US, which is the classical country of mixed drinks, Vodka replaced Gin more and more, because Russian spirituous liquors suited better to American drinking habits. German regulations say, that the spirit-Vodka has to be produced from alcohol and/ or grain-distillates according to special procedures and/ or by using a few additional products. Special procedures or additions have to show the characteristics of the Vodka clearly, especially the smoothness of the taste. Special procedure means the technique of filtration. Charcoal-filtration is usually preferred among the different possibilities. Basic ingredients of the vodka-production are mainly barley, rye, wheat or potatoes. The choice of the basic ingredients does hardly have any importance, because nearly all taste-substances get lost through the distillations and rectified. Aim of the vodka production is, unlike other spirituous liquors, to get a pure, smooth neutral-tasting product. Vodka is stored in glass- or stone containers, if at all. No storage time is prescribed for German products. The last step of production, before the product is bottled, is to reduce Vodka to its drinking strength by adding water. Vodka contains at least 40 % of alcohol in Germany, but stronger Vodkas are available, as well. Besides in its traditional countries Russia and Poland, Vodka is also produced in Finland, Germany, Italy, England, France, Canada and US in big productions. Besides the clear, neutral Vodka, aromatised kinds are produced, too. Most known is the Zubrowka, a yellowish Vodka, which is aromatised by adding cumarin-containing buffalo grass (Buffalo blade of grass) in Poland and Buffalo grass extracts in Russia. The name Zubrowka (Zubravka) comes from "Zubr", which is polish for wild bull (Bison, Wisent). Less alcohol containing Vodkas, mixed with mandarin, lemon, grapefruit or apple are also available in Germany.