W3 Wine School

Marsala Secco (Italy)

Marsala Wine

Marsala is a fortified wine similar to Sherry, Madeira, and Port.

It is produced in the region surrounding the city of Marsala in Sicily.

Flavors

Cherry
Morello Cherry		 Apple
Coocked Apple		 Orange Zest
Citrus		 Jam
Jam
Apricot
Stewed Apricot		 Plum
Coocked Plum		 Honey
Burnt Honey		 Dried Fruit
Dried Fruit
Raisins
Raisins		 Prunes
Prunes		 Almond
Almond		 Nuts
Nuts

Tertiary Flavors from Aging


Vanilla
Vanilla		 Licorice
Licorice		 Tobacco
Tobacco		 Mineral
Mineral

Typical flavors of Marsala wines are: Jam. Dried Fruit. Apricot. Plum. Burnt Honey. Brown Sugar. Tamarind. Walnut. Licorice.

Profile

Marsala is a full bodied sweet sherry like wine.

SUGAR:100g/l
BODY:Medium Pluss
ACIDITY:Medium
ALCOHOL18%
Temperature Serving temperature:
8-10°C (46-50°F) Aperitif
14-16°C (57-60°F) Meditation

Marsala Colors

Marsala comes in 3 colors:

ColorColor
Gold
Amber
Ruby

Marsala Aging Styles

Marsala comes in 5 styles:

StyleAgingColor
Fine1 year
Superior2 years
Superior Reserve4+ years
Virgin/Solera5+ years
Virgin: Stravercchio/Reserve10+ years

Food Pairing Dry Marsala

Aperitif
Meditation
Aperitif		 Olives
Olives		 Ham
Smocked
Meat		 Cheese
Fresh
Cheese

Cold Cuts. Smoked Meat. Smocked Fish. Assorted Olives.
Hazelnuts. Walnuts. Almonds.
Cous Cous. Soft Cheese. Goat Cheese.

Food Pairing Sweet Marsala

Cantucci
Cantucci		 Cakes
Cakes		 Chocolate
Dark
Chocolate		 Cheese
Strong
Cheese

Sweet Marsala pairs best with cakes and desserts:

Biscotti. Cantucci.
Italian Torte (Cakes). Panforte.
Nut Cakes. Walnut Tart. Peacan Pie.
Chockolate Cake. Dark Chocolate.
Blue Cheese. Gorgonzola. Roquefort.
Parmigiano-Reggiano. Pecorino. Grana Padano.

About Marsala

Marsala contains 15-20% alcohol, and it comes with 3 different sugar levels like Dry (Secco), Semi Sweet (Semi Secco) and Sweet (Dolce).

The wine can be produced using many different grape varieties:

White Grapes: Grillo, Catarratto, Inzolia and Damaschino.

Red Grapes: Nerello Mascalese, Pignatello and Nero d'Avola.

Cooking with Marsala wine: dry Marsala for turkey, veal, beef and mushroom, sweet Marsala for chicken, pork and desserts (Zabaglione).

Wine Region Sicilia (Sicily)

Etna and Catania

Etna with the city of Catania in the foreground

Black Grapes

White Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon

35% Cataratto
15% Nero d'Avola

 Sauvignon

13% Chardonnay

Red Wines

White Wines
Red Wine

Cerasuolo
Etna Rosso
Frappato
Nerello Mascalese
Nero d'Avola
Perricone

 White Wine

Carricante
Cataratto
Etna Bianco
Fiano
Grillo
Inzolia
Malvasia Secco
Sicilia Bianco
Zibibbo

Rosè Wines

Dessert Wines
Rosè

Cerasuolo di Vittoria
Nero d'Avola Rosato

 Sparkling Wine

Marsala
Sicilia

Soil

Soil

Volcanic mountains, volcanic hills and dark volcanic soil is covering most of Sicily, but is most significant around the Volcano Mount Etna.

Climate

Soil

Sicily is excellent for high-quality winemaking. With Mediterranean influences as well as lots of sunshine, the overall climate is warm and dry.

But, the island has mountains, and the benefit of altitude helps to moderate heat, preserve acidity, and even out ripening.

Winds from the oceans protect grapes from frost and mildew, and the harvest is one of the longest in Italy (90 days).

Sicilia has 1 DOCG and 23 DOC regions:

Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG

Alcamo DOC
Contea di Sclafani
Contessa Entellina DOC
Delia Nivolelli DOC
Eloro DOC
Erice DOC
Etna DOC
Faro DOC
Malvasia delle Lipari DOC
Mamertino di Milazzo
Marsala DOC
Menfi DOC
Monreale DOC
Noto DOC
Pantelleria DOC
Riesi DOC
Salaparuta DOC
Sambuca di Sicilia DOC
Santa Margherita di Belice DOC
Sciacca DOC
Sicilia DOC
Siracusa DOC
Vittoria DOC


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