Margins Vermouth

Margins Vermouth

The Cabernet Franc rosé base wine, brandy, and local Santa Cruz Mountains honey were blended together in a stainless steel tank. The herbs were then steeped in the liquid for a few months. The liquid was then moved to barrel to oxidize. After a month, the concoction was
moved back to tank and more herbs were infused for another month before the Vermouth was bottled.

The ingredients of the Vermouth are mostly untraditional. It was my desire to use only herbs and botanicals that were sourced from the Santa Cruz Mountains. The lemons, rangpur limes, and finger limes all came from trees in Makjavich Vineyard, which Larry Makjavich and I farmed together for six years. The redwood sorrel was wild foraged from along the road leading up to the vineyard. The lavender came from Deerhaven Lavender Farm near my home in Bonny Doon. The peppermint and rosemary came from our home garden. The sage came from my
neighbor’s yard. The bronze fennel and honey came from Post Street Farm in Santa Cruz.

This will be my first and only attempt at commercial Vermouth, as the process was quite demanding. I am eternally grateful to all the industry colleagues that gave me advice along the way, especially Billy Beltz from Oddish Wine, Ricky Taylor from Alta Marfa, and Katie Luczai & Eliot Martin from Marzae.