Updated July 2026. Sweet vermouth is bar talk. In the US the TTB files it as aperitif wine (27 CFR 4.21(g)): grape wine, compounded, at least 15% alcohol. Sweet or rosso on a label is style language. Read the neck for that bottle’s ABV.
A 3-ounce pour at 16% is about 0.80 of one NIAAA standard drink. A 750 mL bottle at 16% is about 6.8 drinks. Related: Old Fashioned taste, Campari taste, wine taste.
Label vs pour
| Language | Meaning | Drinks |
|---|---|---|
| US aperitif wine | at least 15% | From labeled ABV |
| Vermouth | A type of aperitif wine | Read the neck |
| Sweet / rosso | Style language, not a legal designation | — |
| 3 oz at 16% | Typical trade pour | ~0.80 |
Standard-drink math follows the ABV on the neck. See wine drink math.
Sources
- 27 CFR 4.21(g), aperitif wine / vermouth.
- NIAAA standard-drink math, December 2025.