Unnumbered review: Cardamaro 17.5%abv and Cynar 16.5%abv

battle of the wine-based amari


So, Cardamaro, according to its label in Italian, is (roughly) "aromatized bitter wine from cardoon and artichoke." Oddly enough, this appears on the back in English as "wine based amaro of cardoon and blessed thistle." "Blessed thistle" appears on the front as "Cardo Santo." So this is confusing, but no bother. The label says it's from Canelli, which is in Piemonte, where they say "articiocc" for artichoke. It comes in a cute bottle. And it's cheap! It calls itself an "aperitif wine."

Cynar comes in a big bottle with a picture of an artichoke. "Cynara" is the genus of both artichoke and cardoon, but the label seems pretty fixated on artichokes. Let's see what the label says: "Cynar is a product obtained from the mixture of artichoke leaves and other herbs infused according to an ancient recipe." The label also also gives a Piemontese address, warns of caramel coloring, insists that you drink it "always on ice," and declares it imported by Campari America. It calls itself a "liqueur."


Cardamaro:

A very rich and spicy nose. Dried, salted plums, ginger and allspice, rhubarb, with lots of smaller vegetal notes in the background. Just a little bit of grapestems and grassiness.

Palate is sweet and grapey, with a little (good caramel) and, of course, bitterness. Texture is very rich, almost feels syrupy. Finish is still sweet and bitter -- this is when what must be the thistle really comes through. Very drinkable, although it's hard to imagine drinking a lot of it at once.


Cynar:

Much darker in the glass. The vegetal note -- I guess that would be artichoke -- are more prominent from the outset -- it has a ginseng-y, tonic-y character. A little less easy and simpler than the Cardamaro: it smells like a thin red wine with an herb or two. Can you smell bitter? It smells more bitter.

It is more bitter. It's something new-- is that gentian? It's also sweeter but less fruity. The tastes are more pronounced but fewer. The wine almost takes on some apple notes, but not quite. Finishes quite bitter, and maybe a new herb pops up.


I like them both, but I find the Cardamaro a lot more interesting and appealing.

What the hell, let's score them.

Cardamaro: 80
Cynar: 75