Martini is a global brand for the production of vermouth and sparkling wines. He became so popular that his name is given to all kinds of cocktails, bars and even festivals.
The Martini brand is named for the Martini and Rossi distillery in Turin. It produces world famous red, white and pink vermouth Martini, and sparkling wines Martini Asti, Martini Prosecco, Martini Brut and Martini Rose. It all started with a small winery in the heart of Piedmont.
History tour
Back in 1830, the Italian Alessandro Martini decided to open a wine company near Turin. In 1847 he was supported by local winegrowers, and as Italian Risorgimento flourished in those years, the business quickly began to flourish.
A little later, in 1863, Luigi Rossi, who was credited with the invention of the vermouth, and Teofilo Sola joined Alessandro Martini. It was the production of vermouth that brought Martini, Sol and Rossi campaigns worldwide success.
In 1879, Teofilo Sola dies and his son sells all his rights to the company to his father’s partners. The company changes its name to Martini and Rossi, and in the same year decides to diversify its range with sparkling wines. Already in 1880 the first sparkling wine “Canelli”, now known as “Martini Asti”, was put into production.
The popularity of the Martini and Rossi campaign was added by the recognition of their products by the royal families. In the 19th century, the addition of royal symbols to products was popular. This served as a kind of guarantee of product quality.
The first Vermouths and sparkling wines “Martini” were recognized in 1968 by the first king of the united Italy of modern times Victor Emmanuel II. In 1872, King Louis of Portugal put his symbol on Martini bottles, then in 1897 Queen of Austria Christina and the British Parliament followed suit. And behind them are many others. Some of these symbols can still be seen on bottles of vermouth and sparkling Martini wines.
Alessandro Martini died in 1905, and the company was inherited by the three sons of Luigi Rossi. They did not change the name of the company, nor the name of vermouth and wine, paying tribute to the merits of Alessandro Martini. And also purely from commercial motives, because at that time all over the world the products of their company were already known under the Martini brand. They only diversified the assortment of vermouth and sparkling wines produced at their distillery.
Why wine is called sparkling
Sparkling wine, or, as it is also called, spumante, got its name because of its ability to foam (spuma is translated from Italian as "foam").
Back in the Middle Ages, winegrowers noticed that wine in certain conditions begins to foam. This was a serious problem for them, because the growing pressure in the bottles made them explode, and wine producers suffered losses.
Nevertheless, they did not abandon its production, since the final result exceeded all their expectations. Therefore, over time, they simply came up with the idea of holding the cork with wire.
What is the difference between sparkling wine and champagne
Many people confuse sparkling wine and champagne, speaking of them as if they were two varieties of wine. Actually, sparkling wine is a type of wine, while champagne is a sparkling wine produced by the method of exclusively natural double fermentation of wine directly in the bottle itself.
It is believed that this method was first used in the province of Champagne. Since then, the method itself has also received the name "champagne method". Champagne improves its qualities over time, so the longer it is stored, the tastier, and therefore more expensive it will be.
But, since this method is quite capacious and expensive, the Sharma method invented in Italy is usually used for the production of sparkling wines. According to this method, wine wanders in an airtight tank, after which it is bottled under pressure. This wine usually goes on sale immediately, since its main advantage is the price, not the taste.
Martini Asti
There are 4 types of sparkling Martini wines: Prosecco, Brut, Rose and Asti.
The first of the Martini sparkling wines was Asti. It is made from white muscat grapes growing in the region of the same name. This variety is characterized by natural sweetness, so it is used not only in winemaking, but also as a dessert.
They make Martini Asti using the modified Sharma method. Primarily, wine wanders in an airtight container, and secondarily in the bottles themselves. Thus, “Martini Asti” wins against its brethren in taste, and champagne in price. The producers of this sparkling wine wanted to find the perfect combination of price / quality and, we can safely say that they succeeded.
Dry sparkling wines
The exact opposite of Martini Asti is Martini Brut. It does not differ in sweetness, like its "elder brother" Asti, but has richer taste.
Sparkling wine "Martini Brut" is made on the basis of white grape varieties "Gler" and "Chardonnay". The drink is light and fresh.
Today, dry sparkling wines, including Martini Brut, are popular all over the world. But it was not always so. Since sugar in dry sparkling wine is minimized, in many countries it did not immediately go to court. The first connoisseurs of brutus were the British, hence the name.
Champagne “Martini Brut” is called exclusively in Russia, as it has so historically developed that the word “champagne” is mentioned in the name of sparkling wine brands, like “Soviet champagne” or “Odessa champagne”, although all these sparkling wines are made according to the Sharm method and no have nothing to do with champagne.
It is also incorrect to call Martini Brut sparkling wine. Sparkling, or carbonated, is a wine in which carbon is added artificially, and not in the process of natural fermentation. This is intended to reduce production time and costs. Such wine, although it has the properties of a sparkling wine, is inferior to it in quality. It is characterized by weaker pressure in the bottle (1-2.5 atmospheres) and a low strength (7-12%).
Prosecco and the Rose
The sparkling wine "Martini Prosecco", like brut, is made from the white grape variety "gller". Until recently, Prosecco sparkling wine was sweet and practically did not differ from Asti.
But since the mid-twentieth century they began to make it dry, because in this form it is very similar to champagne, but unlike it, it is produced by the Sharma method, which makes wine production less expensive. Recently, the popularity of "Martini Prosecco" has increased dramatically, this is due to its high quality at a relatively low price.
Sparkling wine "Martini Rose" - semi-dry sparkling wine from white and red grape varieties of the Italian provinces of Veneto and Piedmont. Has a delicate taste of wild forest berries.
The worldwide popularity of Martini sparkling wines is the best proof that they are all worth your attention.