Perlino has more than a hundred years of history in the production of vermouths and sparkling wines. Perlino Rosso is made by macerating herbs in alcohol for 30 days. The herb mixture is then filtered and mixed with wine and sugar. White wine is used to produce the product, it gets its red color from caramel and other colourants. Perlino Rosso is sold in Estonia at Coop stores, the price of a liter bottle is 9 euros.

The aroma is pleasantly sweet, slightly fruity and very lightly spicy. The taste is light and sweet, too sweet. The sugar content is higher than with Martini for example. High sugar levels hide most of the herbs and spices. Perlino is like sugar water with added alcohol and a bit of spice and herbs. Only at aftertaste comes a little bitterness of wormwood or some other herb. Perlino is a typical low-cost supermarket product. It is so mildly flavored that it is suitable for everyone and so sweet that I do not want to sip out more than one small glass.

The taste is light and quite moderate, but the biggest problem is too high a sugar content. The spiciness level is too low to have good cocktails with it. Perlino cannot be recommended even for it’s low price, as vermouths are mostly bought for cocktail use. A couple of euros more you’ll get Martini or Cinzano, which both are less sweet and more complex.

75/100