Valdespino have produced aperitif wines since the late 19th century. Their original recipes, known as ‘Tonics for the Sick’, were a blend of sherries macerated with botanicals, fruit and bitter root extracts. In the late 1990s, the Estévez family discovered casks containing these aperitifs and continued to produce small batches for their private collection. The team have since recovered old recipes and revived the original Art Deco labels. They are the only house to produce a vermouth based on Very Old Oloroso Wines from the bodega’s founding soleras, which provide excellent richness and complexity.
The Quina is a blend of 20 year old Oloroso wines with Pedro Ximénez from the historic El Candado solera, which imparts additional depth. The blend underwent a hydroalcoholic maceration with Cinchona bark (Quina, the basis of quinine) with gentian root, natural liquorice extract and nutmeg, as well as dried oranges and grapefruit. The final blend was then aged in old Oloroso barrels before bottling. The Quina is more intense and bitter with layered aromas of aniseed, nutmeg and dates. Notes of quinine and a satisfying bitterness on the palate lead to a long and complex finish. Serve in a tumbler glass on the rocks with a cinnamon stick and a twist of orange or mix in the ultimate Negroni.
