The Consortium of the Vermouth di Torino PGI Announces Its Having Obtained Certification Mark Registration from the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Turin, ITALY 9th november 2023 – This is important news because the achievement of this objective, obtained thanks to challenging work carried out by the Consortium, strengthens the international protection of the PGI Vermouth di Torino, the most famous aromatised wine with Protected Geographical Indication, and the only vermouth in the world to have this recognised status.
“The US Certification Mark is not always so easy nor predictable to obtain – President Roberto Bava notes – it took three years of work during which the Consortium operated in close collaboration with the iconic Vermouth di Torino manufacturers, which made their archives available in order to collect the documents necessary for the preparation of the dossier. This authentic evidence has made it possible to demonstrate that Vermouth di Torino has been sold in the United States by the members of the Consortium continuously from 1866 until today.”
“The Consortium of the Vermouth di Torino is constantly at work to protect consumers from misleading labeling practices.” Pierstefano Berta, Director of the Consortium comments. “Constantly working with the Italian institutions and with the Trademark Offices of other countries to obtain the maximum protection for the Vermouth di Torino, it became clear that we needed widespread protection in the US, a country that appreciates it, making it an irreplaceable element in the mixing of cocktails, thus representing a very relevant market for the members of the Consortium.”
By obtaining this Certification Mark Registration, the Consortium has completed a journey which in recent years has seen the protection of the PGI, of the name of the Vermouth di Torino and of the consortium trademarks in Italy and in all the countries of the European Union, as well as in numerous other countries.
Registration in the US is fundamental in the global process of protection and control of the “Vermouth di Torino PGI” denomination, but it is also an incentive for the Consortium to negotiate with other countries and to strengthen its objective of protecting consumers throughout the world from possible imitations and of enhancing its quality and identity.
The Vermouth di Torino
Vermouth di Torino is the most famous Italian aromatised wine, already appreciated at the royal court of Savoy. Its name derives from the German term wermut which defines the Artemisia absinthium (wormwood), the main aromatic base in its preparation. Beginning in 1400, the liqueur makers of Torino started to distinguish themselves for their expertise in the art of distillation until, as early as the eighteenth century, they achieved great fame even outside the Italian borders. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Vermouth also became famous abroad in its two white and red variants. The development of Vermouth di Torino as we know it today, a fascinating convivial aperitif, began precisely in the Piedmont capital. Over the years we have witnessed the evolution of processing techniques: the new ones have joined the older ones and their coexistence continues today to preserve and enhance the traditional production of this product.
The Vermouth di Torino is classified according to the color (White, Amber, Rosé or Red) and the quantity of sugar used in its preparation. The specification also foresees the Vermouth di Torino Superiore type which refers to products with an alcoholic strength of no less than 17% vol., made with at least 50% of Piedmont wines and flavoured with herbs – other than absinthe – grown or harvested in Piedmont.
The Consortium of Vermouth di Torino
The main purpose of the Consortium is the protection, promotion and valorization of the denomination, protecting its information for the final consumer and providing technical assistance and professional training to companies and producers. Among its main tasks, there is also the supervisory activity of guaranteeing the correct application of the Geographical Indication denomination to the products of the consortium. Among the objectives there is to promote initiatives related to the valorization, nutritional education and correct and responsible consumption of Vermouth di Torino. The Consortium was established in 2019 by will of the producers of Vermouth di Torino who, aware of the need for regulation, together defined a production specification approved by the Decree of March 22, 2017 by which the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies regulated the geographical indication Vermouth di Torino/Vermut di Torino.
Currently there are 35 historic producers who make and distribute Vermouth di Torino all over the world: Antica Cantina di Calosso, Antica Distilleria Quaglia – Bèrto, Antica Torino, Arudi, Bosca, Cav. Pietro Bordiga, Calissano – Gruppo Italiano Vini, Carlo Alberto, Carpano – Fratelli Branca Distillerie, Chazalettes, Cinzano – Davide Campari–Milano, Giulio Cocchi, Coop. Erbe Aromatiche Pancalieri, D.co Ulrich, Del Professore, Drapò – Turin Vermouth, Ducato, Franco Cavallero Spirits, Gancia & C., Karminia, Isolabella della Croce, La Canellese, Luigi Vico, Mainardi, Mancino, Martini & Rossi, Antonio Parigi, Peliti’s, Revel Chion Distillery, Scarpa, Sibona, Sperone, Starlino, Tosti1820, Vergnano.
