Quickie: Are you supposed to refrigerate both dry and sweet vermouth?
And if I haven't and they've been sitiing out for 2 months do I need to throw them both away?
Thanks...
Unpossible
Jan 31, 2007 11:21AM
8 Replies so Far
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Vermouth, both Dry and Sweet are fortified wines that will go bad very quickly and should both be refrigerated. 2 months out will definately have some effect on the wine, but I don't think there is any safety issue with drinking it, especially considering 99% of the bars out there have the same bottles of vermouth sitting out night after night after night.
You will definitely have an impact in flavor, although it may not be too noticeable right now.
I much prefer to buy smaller bottles of vermouth and keep them in the fridge so I have a higher turnover.
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Also, try sweet vermouth on the rocks. This is a summer drink that people in Spain live on. Maybe not for everyone, but I like it!
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I like dry vermouth the same way--it's lovely in the summer too!
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In my own experience, fortified wines like vermouth do not go bad quickly; they keep well for months after opening. I find that exposure to light is bad for them -- sweet vermouths turn from garnet to an unattractive brownish --, but they certainly don't spoil within days the way unfortified wines do. I don't go through tons of vermouth, so some of my bottles are over a year old, but I don't find the deterioration of flavor over time that fafner cites.
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I have been doing a lot of research on this lately for a series of articles I'm working on. Vermouth should be kept in the fridge and out of the light. Also that you only buy it from stores with fast turnover where it has only been on the shelves for a few days or weeks. It should be used within six months of bottling, max. up to around 8 months. Before the one year point it will have started to go off in taste. This is for unopened bottles. Opened bottles should be used well within 1month for best flavor. Vermouth doesn't have enough fortification to prevent it from going off quickly. I did a taste test between unopened bottles that were new vs. a few months old and you could easily tell the difference. Also between just opened and in the fridge for two months and the difference was very noticeable. The older they were, the more oxidized and off tasting they became.
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JMF, where and when will I be able to read your articles
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New stuff like Vermouth and other fortified wines, and Cocktails won't be out for a bit. For now you can read about gin, rum, liqueurs, dessert wines, and food stuff at http://www.slashfood.com
Click on jonathan forester in the writers name list to the right side of the page to get a list of all my food and beverage articles. (Or click here http://www.slashfood.com/bloggers/jonathan-m-forester/)
There are quite a few of articles and reviews on spirits, wines, etc., around 60-70. You can take a look into my liquor cabinet if you can click on the topic "Liquor Cabinet"
(Or click here http://www.slashfood.com/category/liq...
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I've had no problem keeping them unrefrigerated after opening, though I mostly buy sweet. As mentioned, I probably would want to use it up within 6 months, but I obviously don't have the highly refined palate of others who find an "off" taste.
I wouldn't throw out the stock you have even if you decide to start refrigerating. Taste them if you're not sure, but my guess is you certainly should have no problem using them as mixers or even drinking straight.
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