We explain everything you need to know about Marsala wine so that you know what type of wine it is and where it comes from, the history behind its production, the types that exist, and the culinary uses that we can give it.
The Italian wine we are talking about today was rediscovered by English merchants, despised as a drink and elevated to the star of sauces. Some theories suggest that it was an ingredient present in the birth of tiramisu and all voices confirm its potential to enhance meats. History has adapted to new times and in the last three decades an Ambra marsala made from white Grillo grapes has positioned itself as a wine delicacy. Today everything about marsala wine, a fortified Italian wine with much to offer to the table.
What is marsala wine?
Marsala wine is a Sicilian wine with a Protected Designation of Origin. It is made and produced in the area around Marsala, in the northwest of Sicily, and is used in many Italian savoury and sweet dishes. Marsala wine is a fortified wine, which means that more alcohol, usually brandy, has been added during the production process, increasing its alcohol content and giving the resulting wine more complex organoleptic characteristics.
Trapani, the Sicilian wine-producing region, produces 43% of all the island’s wine and is still competing with the foothills of Elna, with its exceptional climatic qualities and derived ash soils. The Marsala region in Trapani has been a historical enclave of trade routes, which allowed Marsala wine to be born and spread throughout the world by maritime merchants. Today, and after a period of disrepute and reservation as a cooking wine, Marsala wines are appreciated as an aperitif glass beyond their uses for sauces and desserts.
What does marsala wine taste like?
For Cris Silva, sommelier at Vinotellers and wine accountant at Querido Coleccionista, Marsalas are meditation wines that should be savoured slowly in order to be appreciated with all five senses. They are very complex wines that smell of honey, tobacco, and liquorice and taste of baked apples, dried apricots, and nuts.
Origin and history of Marsala wine
How many ingredients, spices, and drinks do we owe to the great trade routes of history? Cocoa and coffee, cinnamon and tea, a handful of almonds, and one of Italy’s most iconic wines, Marsala wine. In 1773, while the Industrial Revolution was brewing in the background and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was becoming the greatest power in maritime trade, John Woodhouse, an English merchant, arrived on the Sicilian coast in search of soda ash, an element of great importance for the industry.
In Marsala, in the west of the island, he was fortunate enough to try the vin perpetuo, a complex wine reminiscent of Port and Madeira. In his eagerness to take this wine back to Britain, he decided to add a greater volume of alcohol as a preservative for the long voyage. When he docked in England, he discovered that the taste was different; he had just made the first version of Marsala wine.
How Marsala wine is made
Marsala wine is a fortified wine made by adding brandy and cooked must or mistela. As a result, the alcohol content increases, the texture becomes thicker and the flavour becomes much more complex.
After this fortification process, the wine is stored in oak or chestnut barrels for 2 years to achieve the Superior category, for a minimum of 5 years for the Virgen category, and a minimum of 10 years for the Reserva category. Temperature, humidity, the winery in which it is made and time are key factors that determine the organoleptic character of Marsala wine.
Marsala wine varieties
There are different classifications for Marsala wine depending on its color, sweetness and aging. The type of grape used, the percentage of each variety in the same Marsala wine or the material of the aging barrel are also involved in the processing.
Marsala wine according to color
There is Marsala Ambra (Amber), Marsala Oro and Marsala Rubino (Ruby). As the names suggest, the difference between them is the final hue, which depends on the type of grape chosen for their production. According to Silva, “Marsala Ambra and Oro are mainly made from Grillo, Cataratto and Inzolia, white grapes native to the north-west of Sicily. Grillo is the most appreciated while Cataratto and Inzolia are used to provide aromas. Marsala Rubino or Ruby is made from the red grapes Nero d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese, and Pignatello, but up to 30% of white grapes can be added to these.”
Marsala wine according to sweetness
Winemaking requires fermentation and the fermentation process of sugar. For this reason, residual sugar is an intrinsic part of winemaking. Depending on the amount of residual sugar, Marsala wine can be divided into secco, semisecco, and dolce.
Dry Marsala wine contains a maximum of 40 grams of residual sugar per litre. Semi-dry Marsala wine ranges from 41 to 100 grams of residual sugar per litre, and sweet Marsala wine is wine with more than 100 grams of residual sugar.
Marsala wine according to aging
Finally, the time spent aging Marsala wine gives rise to another classification that ranges from Marsala Fino to Solera Stravecchio. The classification from youngest to oldest corresponds to:
- Marsala Fino up to 1 year of age
- Marsala Superior up to 2 years of aging
- Marsala Superior Reserve up to 4 years of aging
- Marsala Virgin or Solera more than 5 years of aging
- Marsala Virgin or Solera Stravecchio or Reserve more than 10 years of aging
How to drink marsala wine
What does Marsala wine pair with? Pairing, the art of combining the bite with the sip, enhancing the final result, becomes even more relevant with the range of dry, sweet, fine or superior Marsala wines. Like sherry wines, Marsala wines are very versatile with a multitude of dishes, beyond drinking dry Marsala wines only as an aperitif. Marinating asparagus or artichokes —which are usually very difficult products to pair— with a dry Marsala and chocolate desserts with a sweet Marsala is one of Cristina’s tips.
Although Marsala once enjoyed the same fame as Madeiras, Ports, and Sherries when it was produced on a large scale, during the 20th century it was assumed that it was a low-quality wine and therefore only suitable for cooking, which greatly damaged its reputation. Although many still think that it is a wine for making sauces, nothing could be further from the truth, over the last forty years it has been given back the prestige it deserves.
Uses of Marsala wine in cooking
Marsala wine has multiple uses in cooking thanks to the different agings and degrees of sweetness it presents. Based on these qualities, it can complement, increase contrast or round out a dessert spoonful with a honeyed complexity.
Which marsala wine is best for cooking?
Cooking is synonymous with denaturing. For this reason, to bring wine closer to the flames we should always choose full-bodied wines that do not stand out for prolonged preparation or delicate nuances in the mouth that would be lost during preparation. The ideal marsala for cooking is the Fino marsala, which has been aged for less time and is therefore of the lowest quality. Beyond aging, it can be chosen according to the level of sweetness, depending on whether it is intended to be paired with meats or to top sweet desserts.
Recipes with Marsala Wine
Marsala wine is the name given to chicken marsala, an Italian recipe in which the wine is reduced and combined with other ingredients such as mushrooms. The sauce is then poured over the meat, giving it a syrup-like consistency and a caramelized flavor. The best variety for this recipe is the dry variety, although some people choose to play with the contrast with sweet marsalas.
Another Italian recipe, this one originating in Rome, is saltimbocca. The name comes from the Italian “saltare in bocca” because it is a dish so appealing that it reaches our palate on its own without any help. It consists of a thin fillet of veal with ham and sage leaves accompanied by a sweet marsala sauce.
In the world of pastry, Marsala wines are the perfect companion to the most iconic recipes. Pastry chef Iannaccone, one of the names credited with creating tiramisu explored eggs, mascarpone, and Marsala before presumably coming up with the final recipe. Marsala is mixed in with butter and semolina, flavouring the dough for the universally famous cannoli. Marsala also makes a sporadic appearance in panna cotta and zabaione, another Italian dessert made from egg yolk, sugar, and Marsala wine.