Italian wines are famous all over the world. Literally every region of the Apennine peninsula boasts its own regional drink. And if we talk about Sicily, then here we have our own wine “visiting card”. This is marsala. We will talk about this marvelous fault 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 wine born here was very popular in the Middle Ages. But times have changed. When dry wines came into fashion, Sicily remained in the shade. But not for long. At the end of the eighteenth century, Marsala appeared. And Sicily again took a prominent place among wine producers. Now Marsala is so popular that it even has the same color (fabrics, hair dyes, lipsticks, nail polishes). It is a muffled but saturated burgundy on a brownish undertones.
The birth of Marsala
Oddly enough, but the English recipe developed this wine. In the mid-eighteenth century, Liverpool merchant John Woodhouse arrived in Sicily. He bought land near the ancient city of Marsala, on the west coast of the island, in the province of Trapani. The Englishman was going to create so popular in the UK sherry and Madeira. But something went wrong. Italian wines in Sicily are gaining a lot of sugar. Marsala came out like that, the first glass of which was drunk in 1773. And since the Liverpool merchant made it fortified, mature spirits played unimaginable shades of taste and had an incomparable bouquet. British sailors led by Nelson glorified Marsala all over the world. The admiral himself said that such a wine would be enjoyed by the most demanding lord. After the death of Wodehouse, his case was continued by another Englishman - Benjamin Ingham. And then Italian Vincenzo Florio.
Marsala Wine: A Brief Production Process
The drink is born through careful blending. Not many people know that the main raw material for Marsala is white grapes. The main varieties are Damascino, Calabrese, In Zolia, Catarfato and Grillo. But the red grapes Nerello, Maskalese and Pignatello are also added to the blend. No less than varieties of berries, production technology is also important. The wort is boiled until brown and has a distinctive caramel flavor. 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 the Marsala wine is infused in barrels of cherry and oak, which are riveted without glue and nails. In such containers, the drink is infused with the solera method. This means that young wine is mixed in old wine, and in this way it matures. With this method of aging, the crop year is of little importance.
Marsala wine characteristics
This drink is an origin-controlled name. To become Marsala wine, berries must ripen only in a small area in the south-west of Sicily - in the province of Trapani. The blend must certainly include the Grillo variety, which is capable of natural oxidation. The color of Marsala wine cannot be called light or even golden. Although the drink is made from white varieties. The bouquet of wine is very rich and interesting. It feels a touch of ship tar. The taste is dominated by shades of vanilla and caramel, harmonized with light bitterness. Marsala is an almost eternal wine. It continues to mature in bottles and does not deteriorate even in uncorked containers. The alcohol in it is 17-18 degrees, and sugar - from one and a half to seven percent.
What are marsals
As in other alcoholic beverages, in this wine the status depends on the aging time in barrels. At the foot of the pyramid is "Fino" (selective). This Marsala wine is aged in barrels for about one year. The “Superior”, which has been in wooden containers for at least two years, is ranked higher. If the label says “Reserve”, the wine has ripened for four years. “Vergine” means “native.” This is dry marsala, aged for at least five years. And Vergina Straveccio, before being bottled, was at least ten years old. In Italy, the release and drink "Marsala Special" is allowed. Various aromatic and flavoring additives are added to this wine: coffee, bananas, citruses, chocolate, etc.
How to drink Marsala
Like any white wine, this Sicilian drink will serve as an excellent accompaniment to fish and seafood dishes. Marsala with oysters, crab, and also smoked salmon is especially good. This wine (especially red) can also be served on a cheese plate. Marsala is drunk in moderately chilled form. 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 from Savoyardi cookies and Mascarpone soft cream cheese. But before putting the biscuits in one layer, it is dipped for a second in strong coffee flavored with Marsala. Sweet wine taste gives the finished tiramisu dessert a new sound.
Marsala wine: price
The cost of this product in the Russian market is considerable. But it should be borne in mind that Marsala is a product controlled by territorial origin. Only a small wine-growing region in the south-west of Sicily gives birth to this wine. Further, the cost increases depending on the exposure period. “Fino” is cheaper, and the crowning status pyramid of “Vergine Straveccio” is many times more expensive. As an example, we give an example from the middle price segment. Wine "Marsala Superiore Oro" (0.75 liters) from the house "Cantine Pellegrino" costs in specialized stores about one and a half thousand rubles.