Marsala wine: characteristics of the drink, reviews

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Italian wines are famous all over the world. Literally every region of the Apennine Peninsula can boast of its own regional drink. And if we talk about Sicily, then there is also a wine "calling card" here. This is marsala. We will talk about this marvelous wine today. The ancient Greeks began to cultivate vines on the island. The climate of Sicily was just perfect for winemaking. The southern sun poured berries with amazing sweet juice. Malvasia, born here, was very popular in the Middle Ages. But times have changed. When dry wines came into fashion, Sicily remained in the shadows. But not for long. Marsala appeared at the end of the eighteenth century. And Sicily again took a prominent place among the producers of wine. Now Marsala is so popular that there is even a color of the same name (of fabrics, hair dye, lipstick, nail polish). It's a muted yet rich burgundy with a brownish undertone.

Birth of Marsala

Oddly enough, but the recipe for this wine was developed by an Englishman. In the middle of the eighteenth century, the Liverpool merchant John Wodehouse arrived in Sicily. He bought land near the ancient city of Marsala, on the western coast of the island, in the province of Trapani. The Englishman was going to create suchSherry and Madeira are popular in the UK. But something went wrong. Italian wines in Sicily are very high in sugar. This is how Marsala came out, the first glass of which was drunk in 1773. And since the Liverpool merchant made it fortified, the mature spirits played with unimaginable shades of taste and had an incomparable bouquet. Marsala was glorified all over the world by British sailors led by Nelson. The admiral himself said that such a wine would appeal to the most demanding lord. After Wodehouse's death, another Englishman, Benjamin Ingham, continued his work. And then the Italian Vincenzo Florio.

Marsala wine: production process in brief

Drink is born through careful blending. Not many people know that the main raw material for marsala is white grapes. The main varieties are Damaschino, Calabrese, In Zoliya, Catarfato and Grillo. But the red grapes Nerello, Mascalese and Pignatello are also added to the blend. No less than varieties of berries, production technology is also important. The wort is boiled down to a brown color and a characteristic caramel taste. This is a very important stage of production, because if you overdo it, the bitterness of burnt sugar appears in the drink. Next, cognac spirits or brandy are added to the boiled wort. Then Marsala wine is infused in cherry and oak barrels, which are riveted without glue or nails. In such a container, the drink is infused by the solera method. This means that young wine is mixed into old wine, and thus it matures. With this method of aging, the year of harvest does not matter much.

Marsala wine characteristics

This drink is a controlled denomination of origin. To become Marsala wine, the berries must ripen only in a small area in the southwest of Sicily - in the province of Trapani. The blend must certainly include the Grillo variety, which has the ability to naturally oxidize. The color of Marsala wine cannot be called light and even golden. Although the drink is made from white varieties. The bouquet of the wine is very rich and interesting. It has a touch of ship tar. The taste is dominated by shades of vanilla and caramel, harmonized with a slight bitterness. Marsala is an almost eternal wine. It continues to mature in bottles and does not deteriorate even in uncorked containers. Alcohol in it is 17-18 degrees, and sugar - from one and a half to seven percent.

What are marsalas

As in other alcoholic beverages, in this wine the status depends on the time spent in barrels. At the foot of the pyramid is "Fino" (choice). This marsala wine is aged in barrels for about one year. A higher rank is "Superiore", which has been in wooden containers for at least two years. If the label says "Reserve", the wine has matured for four years. "Vergine" means "native". This is a dry marsala aged for at least five years. And Vergina Stravecchio, before it was bottled, was at least ten years old. In Italy, the release of Marsala Speciale is also allowed. Various aromatic and flavoring additives are added to this wine: coffee, bananas, citrus fruits, chocolate, etc.

How to drinkMarsalu

Like any white wine, this Sicilian drink will serve as an excellent accompaniment to fish and seafood dishes. Marsala is especially good with oysters, crabs, and smoked salmon. This wine (especially red) can also be served with a cheese plate. Marsala is drunk moderately chilled. It will be a good accompaniment to fish soup and even meat dishes. Italian housewives use it not only as a drink. Marsala wine is good for tiramisu. This Italian dessert is made with Savoyardi biscuits and delicate Mascarpone cheese cream. But before laying the biscuits in one layer, it is dipped for a second in strong coffee flavored with marsala. The sweet vinous flavor gives the finished tiramisu dessert a new twist.

Marsala wine: price

The cost of this product on the Russian market is considerable. But it should be borne in mind that marsala is a product controlled by territorial origin. Only a small viticultural region in southwestern Sicily produces this wine. Further, the cost increases depending on the exposure period. Fino is cheaper, and Vergine Stravecchio, which crowns the status pyramid, is many times more expensive. As an example, we will give an example from the middle price segment. Wine "Marsala Superiore Oro" (0.75 liters) from the house "Cantine Pellegrino" costs about one and a half thousand rubles in specialized stores.