HELMUT Mini Tasting Box (3-pack). Vermouth tasting set with White, Red, and Rosé in three 50 ml bottles – for comparing, mixing, and gifting.

HELMUT Mini Tasting Box (3-pack) is a vermouth tasting set from Helmut Wermut in Hamburg featuring all three varieties in small bottles. It contains 50 ml each of HELMUT White, Red, and Rosé, totaling 150 ml, 17 to 18% ABV. Not a schnapps, not a herbal liqueur – three vermouths made from Palatinate wine for you to compare.

The 3-pack Mini Tasting Box from Helmut Wermut is a small introduction to the world of vermouth. Vermouth is an aromatized wine: wine as a base, enhanced by extracts of herbs, blossoms, fruits, and spices steeped in alcohol. In every variety of HELMUT, you will find 75% Palatinate wine and 25% handmade herbal and fruit extracts from 25 ingredients. While the three varieties share this recipe principle, they taste quite different. Each has its own wine cuvée and its own specific ingredients. The White is floral, the Red is berry-like and tart, and the Rosé is spicy and exotic. The best way to understand the difference is to taste all three side by side. That is exactly what this box is intended for.

Taste

Three small bottles, three characters: The box ranges from light and floral to piquant and fruity, all the way to dark and herbal-tart. This allows you to taste your way from the most delicate to the most distinctive variety.

HELMUT White is the light entry-level choice with 17% ABV. Its base is a delicately fruity cuvée of Riesling and Müller-Thurgau. It tastes of the mild sweetness of orange blossom, lavender, and fresh meadow herbs. According to its creators, it has very few bitter notes and is light and fresh. The manufacturer calls it an elegant vermouth for delicate taste buds.

HELMUT Rosé stands in the middle and has 18% ABV. Its base is a cuvée made from spicy Pinot Noir. The spiciness of red bell pepper meets fruit notes of physalis, goji berries, and sweet figs. The manufacturer describes it as semi-dry and rather exotic, with piquant fruit and a spirited taste.

HELMUT Red concludes the set, also with 17% ABV. Its base is a cuvée made from bold Dornfelder. It tastes of ripe blackberries, accompanied by spicy notes of laurel and rosemary. Tart herbs, robust taste – that is how the manufacturer summarizes it. It is the charismatic, edgy character among the three.

Use

The box is made for tasting at home. The manufacturer recommends trying HELMUT neat and without ice to get to know it; this is when the herbs and fruits show themselves most clearly.

Place three small glasses next to each other and pour a sip from each bottle. Start with the White, followed by the Rosé, and finish with the Red. This way, the intensity increases from glass to glass, and the floral notes of the White aren't overshadowed by the bold Red. A sip of water between the varieties helps cleanse the palate.

After that, use the rest for mixing. Each bottle contains 50 ml, which is exactly the 5 cl the manufacturer recommends for its signature drinks. For the HELMUT Spritz White, pour the White over ice with 5 to 10 cl of tonic water and add a lemon zest. The HELMUT Spritz Rosé also gets tonic water, plus fresh red bell pepper. The HELMUT Spritz Red is topped with ginger ale and served with fresh mint. This allows you to create three different long drinks from one box. Store any leftovers upright in the refrigerator. According to the manufacturer, HELMUT keeps for a year or longer even after opening.

Our tip: Turn the box into a little aperitif evening for two. First, you both taste all three varieties neat, then each person mixes their favorite spritz. By the end, you will know exactly which full-sized bottle you want to get next.

Origin

All three varieties come from Helmut Wermut in Hamburg and are produced in the Palatinate region. The brand was founded by Markus Weiß, who came to know and appreciate the local vermouth culture during a multi-year stay in Barcelona.

Back in Germany, he wanted to create a modern German vermouth, handmade from local herbs and regional wines. After two years of recipe development, HELMUT launched at the end of 2017 with a deliberately very German name and a wink. Today, Markus Weiß runs the company together with Olina Kladensky; you can read more about HELMUT in our interview with Helmut Wermut.

The wine for all three varieties comes from the Bergdolt-Reif & Nett winery in Duttweiler in the Palatinate. A specific cuvée was chosen for each variety: Riesling and Müller-Thurgau for the White, Pinot Noir for the Rosé, and Dornfelder for the Red. The 25 ingredients for each variety are prepared by hand – meaning peeled, cut, ground, or plucked. They steep in alcohol for at least five weeks and are then carefully pressed or centrifuged. The tinctures are then combined with the wine and bottled in the Palatinate. The manufacturer works exclusively with real herbs and fruits; artificial additives are strictly forbidden. According to the manufacturer, all three varieties are vegan.

Who is this for

The box is for anyone who wants to discover vermouth before committing to a large bottle. It works as a hostess gift for dinner, a small present for friends who like to try new things, and as a tasting set for an evening with guests.

If you prefer tasting spirits, you will find three rums with 35 to 40% ABV in the HELMUT Rum 3-pack Mini Tasting Box. You can find all bottles on our Helmut Wermut page. All three varieties contain sulfites; sale is permitted to persons aged 18 and older. The box is not suitable for those who already know their favorite variety – for them, the large 750 ml bottle is the better choice.

White, Rosé, and Red in 50 ml bottles each – the vermouth tasting set from Helmut Wermut for comparing, for three spritz long drinks, and as a small gift.