This product, based on an old recipe, was given a fresh new look back in 2016. Its base wine consists primarily of Frankovka and Portugizac, along with several old local red grape varieties. The key additive is wormwood, complemented by carob, dried figs, and other Mediterranean fruits. The sugar added to the Bermet is prepared using a special process, though the details remain a secret, explains Antun Filipec regarding the drink which was sold in Samobor pharmacies as early as the 18th century as a remedy for stomach ailments.
Bermet, Wermut, wormwood
.It was considered a medicinal remedy precisely because of the wormwood, from which it also derives its name; Bermet is a variation of the German word Wermut, meaning wormwood. The new, wide bottle that replaced the classic Bordeaux style resembles the bottles used in pharmacies a century or two ago.
That wasn't the idea. I wanted my bermet to be distinctive and to stand out immediately among wines in standard bottles, said Filipec, who also changed the spelling of the family name on the label to Philipecz. He wrote his master's thesis about bermet at the Faculty of Agriculture and conducted extensive research into old documents.
Seven generations
In the process, he came across a list of tanners from the early 19th century; his family had been in the tanning business until World War II, and their products bore the name Philipetz. He liked that spelling, partly because the Illyrian movement figures used a similar style Their publication was titled Danicza Horvatzka, Slavonzka y Dalmatinzka. The Filipec family has been producing bermet for seven generations. For a long time, they made it only for personal consumption, but for the past 70 years, they have also been selling it.
