Marsala - Outside the Kitchen!

Marsala is a fortified dessert wine produced in the city of Marsala in Sicily, Italy. The city has derived its modern name likely from the Arabic مَرْسَى عَلِيّ (marsā ʿaliyy, “Ali's harbor”), or possibly مَرْسَى اللّٰه (marsā llāh, “God's harbor”). 

The first time I came across Marsala was during bakery practicals in IHM while making 'Zabaglione - an Italian dessert made of egg yolks, sugar, and Marsala wine'. Marsala has been a favourite in kitchens across the world as a cooking wine and is a part of a lot of classic recipes. Being a kitchen wine doesn't make Marsala any inferior in quality. There are versions of fine Marsala which can give classic fortified wines such as Port and Sherry a run for their money. 

@Town of Marsala in Province of Trapani.

The history of Marsala dates back to 1773 when an English wine merchant John Woodhouse arrived in Marsala. He discovered the wine which was made locally and was aged in wooden barrels tasted similar to the fortified equivalents of the Spanish and Portuguese counterparts. John Woodhouse was so impressed by the wine that he decided to load fifty barrels of the same onto his ship and take it to England. An extra step which he did was, he added grape spirit to the wine to increase its alcohol content and to preserve the characteristics of the wine through the journey. Thus creating the fortified wine we know today as 'Marsala'. When John Woodhouse returned to England, the wine he bought along from his voyage was a success. So much so that he decided to return to Sicily and produce and market Marsala.

The method in which Marsala was aged was called 'In Perpetuum'. It was carried out by topping up the barrel of the previous year’s wine with wine from the present year. Today if a wine is fractionally blended between vintages the Spanish Solera system is used. 

@Marsala label by Woodhouse.

Marsala was granted protected DOC status in the year 1969, only a few months after Etna which was the first DOC of Sicily. The quality of Marsala has seen its ups and downs through the years. The drop in quality can be attributed to the Italian government encouraging the local winegrowers to increase the crop yield. They also encouraged the more productive guyot (cane-pruning) and tendone (pergola) methods over the traditional goblet (bush-shaped) method. This, in turn, made Marsala a quantity focused wine rather than a quality-focused one and sentenced it to years in the dark recesses of kitchen cupboards. But things are changing in favour of quality Marsala. In November 1984 the DOC's production conditions were revised, and in an attempt to encourage quality over quantity, the high-yield allowances were reduced.

Marsala can be classified into three main types based on colour namely; Ambra, Oro and rubino.

The ambra and oro versions of Marsala are made using white grapes such as Grillo, Catarratto, Inzolia (Ansonica), and Damaschino. Grillo and the more delicate Inzolia are favoured for production of quality Marsala. 

The ambra version is of lower quality and is the only style that allows the practice of concia which is the addition of 'mosto cotto' (cooked must) to get the amber colour.

The rubino wines are produced from Perricone, Calabrese (Nero d’Avola), and Nerello Mascalese.

@Ambra, Oro and Rubino Marsala.

Based on the sugar content Marsala can be further classified into three types:

• Secco (dry, at 40g/l)
• Semisecco (semi-sweet, at 40–100g/l)
• Dolce (sweet, at more than 100g/l)

The versions of aged Marsala which have been getting better in quality are as follows:

• Fine (1 year) - mainly used for cooking.
• Superiore (2 years) - mainly used for cooking.
• Superiore Riserva (4 years)
• Vergine/Soleras (5 years)
• Vergine/Solera Stravecchio (10 years).

Vergine Marsala is fortified after fermentation and the style does not permit the addition of either 'mosto cotto' or 'sifone' (a mistelle produced by fortifying unfermented must of over-ripe grapes); thus, it must be secco in style. 

Vintage dated Marsala also exists, but in this case, the vintage is the year of fortification.

Marsala wines have characteristic aromas of apricot, vanilla, tamarind, red cherries, bruised apples, tobacco and liquorice. Marsala should be served slightly chilled at around 12°C.

As of now there aren't any quality Marsala available in India. The most renowned Marsala producers to look out for are:

• Cantine Florio
• Marco De Bartoli 
• Cantine Pellegrino. 

@Centurion Magazine - Top Marsala Brands

Article by - Kevin Rodrigues, Certified Sommelier.