Sicily has a wealth of fabulous wines. Probably their most famous is also the one that is most disliked. Marsala. For many years it has mainly been used solely for cooking. Veal Marsala anyone? This truly is a shame because the wine deserves much more respect.
Marsala as we know it was created in 1770 by the Englishman John Woodhouse, an expert on Spanish and Portuguese wines. While visiting the area, he was so taken with the local wine he purchased 20,000 litres (5,283 gallons) for shipment to England where wines such as Port, Sherry and Madeira were already extremely popular. Marsala is a fortified wine. It is similar to Port in its structure and vinification style but not in taste. It also can be aged in a solera like Sherry. Woodhouse gave the wine its name and in 1796 purchased property near the port and set up a winery.
Admiral Nelson was a fan of this wine as was another Englishman, Benjamin Ingham. Ingham purchased land near that of Woodhouse and introduced it to the wine world exporting it as far away as Australia. In 1832, a Calabrese named Vincenzo Florio started his company in Marsala. His was the first Italian winery of an industrial size. In 20 years, Florio became the leader in the marketing of Marsala and thus making Italian wine history.
Unfortunately, over time the quality of Marsala dropped partly due to excess production thus relegating it to a cooking wine. In 1984, laws were put into place to help re-launch the wine by severely regulating its production. Today we are seeing more and more quality Marsala being produced.
Marsala is made in 3 colors, Oro (golden), Ambra (amber) & Rubino (ruby). Rubino is the least common type. The grape varieties used in the making of Marsala are varietals that are indigenous to southern Italy. Oro and Ambra are made with a combination of Grillo, Catarratto, Inzolia, Ansonica and Damaschino. Rubino is made with Calabrese (aka Nero d’Avola), Perricone, Nerello Mascalese plus up to 30% white varietals. There are 3 sweetness levels of Marsala. Dry, Off-Dry and Sweet. Dry versions have less than 40 g/l of residual sugar with sweet versions containing more than 100 g/l of residual sugar. Off-Dry falls in between.
Marsala grapes are harvested in September and made into wine. That wine is then fortified with a liqueur which is a blend of alcohol, wine and any number of flavors and aromas. Much like the Champagne and Cognac houses, Marsala producers have their own secret recipes for the liqueur that is used to fortify their wines. The addition of this liqueur to the wine increases the alcohol/volume. Marsala is typically around 18%.
After vinification, the wine is then aged. There are 5 ageing categories.
Fine – min 1 year
Superiore – min 2 years in wood
Superiore Riserva – min 4 years in wood
Vergine and/or Soleras – min 5 years in wood
Vergine and/or Soleras Stravecchio (Extra Old) – min 10 years in wood
Fine Marsala is a nice accompaniment with cookies and dried fruit. It can age 4-5 years.
Superiore & Superiore Riserva can accompany cheeses & desserts. They can age 7-8 years and 10-12 years respectively.
Vergine & Stravecchio are best served with aged cheeses or as a meditation wine. These wines can age 20-35 years and 50-70 years and are in the same class as some of the best tawny Ports and oloroso Sherries.
Recently I have seen an increased interest in Sherry. It would be nice if Marsala achieved the same popularity. I recommend serving a quality Marsala with a cheese course after your next dinner party. I know that not everyone is a fan of blue cheeses but you really can’t beat a Vergine Marsala with some gorgonzola.
I hope that you’ll be courageous and give it a try.
