Whisky in Marsala wine casks - Whisky.com Whisky in Marsala wine casks Contents 5. Whisky Examples 1. The Origin The Marsala wine is a fortified Italian wine that comes from the city of Marsala on the island of Sicily. Sicily is the big island in between Italy and Tunisia in the Mediterranean sea. The climate is mild with temperatures varying from 13°C (55°F) to 29°C(84°F). The European Community protected the term Marsala for wine that is produced inside Italy. 2. Production and post treatment The most unique feature of the Marsala wine is the special maturation method. The locals call their special maturation method Perpetuum. This word came from the wine (not fortified) that had been produced on Sicily before. In the Perpetuum method the casks are never emptied completely. The casks are filled with the latest harvest, matured and then drawn off in respect to the necessary demand. When the next harvest is ready the casks are then filled up again. This means every Marsala wine is a combination of different vintages.

The difference between the indigenous Perpetuum wine and the Marsala wine is that the Marsala has been fortified by brandy to make it more durable on long sea journeys. 3. Effect on the taste The Marsala wine has a sweet, complex, spicy and sometimes nutty aroma. This is also reflected in the whisky that had a Marsala wine maturation or finish. Usually the spiciness and taste of the Marsala is used to make the famous Chicken Marsala. 4. Effect on the colour The different Marsala wines come in different colours, ranging from dark amber to a light brown tone. The Marsala wines chosen for the whisky maturation are usually made from sweet, dark Marsala wine. So the Marsala wine finishes and maturations are usually darker than normal whiskies. 5. Whisky Examples MARSALA: ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Wine Fortified Wine Marsala MARSALA On the western edge of the island of Sicily in Italy lies Marsala, the region of origin for Italy’s most famous, and Marsala’s eponymous, fortified wine. Marsala ranges in color from amber to ruby and is aged for a minimum of one year.

These Italian beauties can be sweet, dry or anywhere in between and are most often used to cook creamy sauces, in which their apricot, vanilla and brown sugar flavors shine. Viewing all 6 Products Fortified Wines: Porto, Sherry, and Madeira | Winemaking: The Six Basic Types of Wine | Que Winemaking: The Six Basic Types of Wine Learn More Buy Fortified Wines: Porto, Sherry, and Madeira Fortified wines are fortified by the addition of extra alcohol in the form of brandy or spirits to bring them up to an alcohol content of 18%–20%. Porto, Sherry, Madeira, Marsala, and Vermouth are all fortified wines. If the extra alcohol is added after fermentation, a dry fortified wine such as Sherry is the outcome. Adding the alcohol during fermentation results in a sweet wine such as Porto. Marsala is made from white grapes grown on the volcanic soil of the island of Sicily, Italy. Marsala has a burnt caramel flavor and is 18%–20% alcohol like all fortified wines.

The sweet all’uovo (egg) version is used in desserts such as Zabaglione. Dry secco Marsala is used when cooking veal. Marsala can also be flavored. Vermouth made in the Piedmont area of northwest Italy is used worldwide as a cocktail or in cocktails. All vermouth is fortified wine with many herbal ingredients based on secret family recipes from long ago. Three types of Vermouth exist: rosso is a sweet red, bianco is a medium-sweet white, and secco is a dry white used in martinis. The main brands are Cinzano and Martini & Rossi. Porto and sherry are two very popular fortified wines. The following sections discuss these wines in more detail. Porto From Portugal Port originated in Portugal, where it is called Porto to distinguish it from ports made elsewhere in the world. In Portugal, Port or Porto (the term I prefer to use for Portuguese Port) is defined as the sweet red, tawny, or white fortified wines bottled in Oporto (or its sister city), which is where the Douro River meets the Atlantic Ocean and the Porto companies are headquartered.

White Porto is used as an aperitif or before-dinner wine, or mixed with tonic water to make a refreshing drink. But Portugal’s most famous Portos are the higher priced, deep, black-red Vintage Porto; the more moderately priced and slightly less inky Late-Bottled Vintage Porto; the very affordable Ruby (red) Porto; and the fine 10- or 20-year-old Tawny Portos that are caramel or tawny brown around the edges. The grapes for Porto are grown far inland from the sea in the quintas or vineyards located on steep, rocky cliffs above the Douro River. Many types of black grapes are planted, including the most important variety, Touriga Nacional. All Porto starts out as sweet wine, because the fermentation is stopped at a mid-point by racking the wine into barrels containing brandy, which kills the yeast. (Please note that this is one of the eight ways to make sweet dessert wines; you will learn about the other techniques later in this chapter.) The brandy not only kills the yeast and stops it from fermenting any more grape sugar, but it also fortifies the Porto to 20% alcohol.

Porto is classified as Vintage Porto only in the declared great vintage years of exceptional quality. This means that Portuguese Porto and French Champagne are the only two wines in the world that do not put a vintage year every year on the bottle. So any Vintage Porto or Vintage French Champagne is from a great vintage year. Vintage Porto is a collector’s item because it can live and improve in the bottle for decades. The high alcohol, sugar, and tannin content of the Porto are what preserve it. That’s why most Porto is bottled in opaque black bottles to keep light from the wine. Vintage Porto is aged in oak barrels for just two years, so it will throw a heavy sediment in the bottle as it ages. This must be decanted or separated from the Vintage Porto before serving. It is the most deep black-red color of any Porto, with lush aromas of licorice, chocolate, and black cherry.

Other classifications of Porto include the more moderately priced Late-Bottled Vintage (abbreviated LBV) that are from single vintage years but are aged longer in wood where it throws most of its sediment (LBV is not bottled until 4 to 6 years after harvest), which means it usually doesn’t have to be decanted, especially if it’s been filtered. Ruby Porto is a blend of vintages that is aged in casks for 2 to 3 years. It has a ruby red color and can be a real bargain. Finally, Tawny Porto is a lovely light tawny brown or caramel color around the edges. The Tawny Portos with indicated age, such as 10 or 20 years old and older are the best, tasting of lace cookies, candied orange, and spice. Australia makes a lot of award-winning Tawny Port. TIP If you are in Napa or Sonoma, California, look for Chocolate Port, usually a Zinfandel Port, that is already mixed with chocolate. This port is thick and rich like the fudge topping on a sundae, but it sure has a kick! It’s wonderful poured over ice cream or strawberries. Most gift shops there sell Chocolate Ports.

But I have even been able to buy Deco "chocolate port" from Sonoma Port Works in the wine department of World Market stores in Atlanta. Remember, you can also "Google" to find any wine. The sugars in the wine have caramelized, making Tawny Porto a perfect partner for flan, shortbread cookies, pound cake, bread pudding, pumpkin pie, and spice or carrot cake. Tawny Porto also marries well with triple crème cheeses. Besides chocolate, Zinfandel Port (from California), Ruby (not Tawny) Porto, Vintage, or LBV Porto (the latter three are from Portugal) are perfect matches with the English blue cheese called Stilton. At posh wine tastings, you may see a huge wheel of this exquisite blue-veined cheese on display next to the Porto, which is its classic partner on a continental menu. Sometimes they go one step further. They poke holes in the Stilton cheese and then pour the Porto into the holes so that it works its way down and turns the cheese red. Then they cut wedges of the Port-soaked Stilton for serving. Americans took this idea and made "port cheese balls" of cheddar with artificial pink color.

Not the same thing, but any blue cheese is great with any ruby style port. Try it! Sherry From Spain Sherry is the fortified wine originally created in the area of Jerez de la Frontera (where we got the word Sherry) on the Atlantic Ocean in southwest Spain. The best Sherry vineyards have chalk soil, and the great white grape of Sherry is called Palomino. All Sherry starts out as a dry white wine and, therefore, is fermented to dryness. To make Cream Sherry and other sweeter styles, a sweeter white wine is added. In the case of Cream Sherry, the winemaker can add a golden wine made from naturally sweet Pedro Ximenes (abbreviated PX) grapes, or the lesser Moscatel grape. (This is one of the eight ways to make a sweet dessert wine, which you will learn about later in this chapter.) Only the very rare Añada Spanish Sherry is ever vintage-dated, but there are new categories of Age-Dated Spanish Sherry: VOS (Very Old Sherry) and VORS (Very Old Rare Sherry), which are respectively certified a minimum of 20 and 30 years old.

All other Spanish Sherries are made in a solera system that blends each new vintage into the year-old casks of wine below it in a "nursery" of barrels representing as many as 30 vintages. Wine is drawn from the oldest barrels for bottling, which makes space for younger wines to be added and integrated into the older wines. This produces a consistent taste year after year. It may take from 12 to 30 years to establish a solera. The two major grape varieties used to make Sherry—Palomino and Pedro Ximenez—are kept in separate soleras until the final blending. While still in the barrels, the Sherry is classified according to whether natural flor (meaning flower) yeast is growing on the surface of the wine in the barrels. The barrels are filled only 7/8 full to leave an air space for the fortunate but elusive flor to grow. The barrels that develop flor yeast are destined to produce the driest and finest types of Sherry, such as Fino, Manzanilla, and Amontillado. These and all of the other types of Spanish Sherry are explained below.

TIP For dessert wine, I really prefer buying a Pedro Ximenez (PX) wine—it’s labeled by this grape variety, not as Sherry—because it is absolutely fabulous, like liquid honey. Cigar smokers even dip the cut end of their cigars in Pedro Ximenez wines to put a sweet taste in their mouths. The types of Spanish Sherry are Fino, which is the lightest, most delicate and some say driest of the Spanish Sherries.

Served chilled with Tapas appetizers Manzanilla, which is also very dry, has a salty taste because it is aged in barrels placed outdoors on the beach where the sea air penetrates the porous wood Amontillado, which tastes more medium-dry to me, has a pronounced nutty flavor that makes it perfect in and with soups Oloroso, which means beautiful aroma, is dry but a richer, fuller-bodied style of Sherry Palo Cortado, is a rare type of Fino that loses its flor yeast and acquires a character between Amontillado and Oloroso Cream, which is the sweetest type of Sherry, is suitable on its own after dinner, or with dessert Spanish Sherries have either cork stoppers or screw caps that allow you to easily remove and replace them so you can use as little or as much as you like at a time. And since all but the Finos are fortified to a strength of 18% to 20% alcohol, you can keep them for a couple of months in your kitchen cabinet. If you can only have one white wine on hand in the kitchen to use in cooking, your best bet is an Amontillado Sherry.

It is perfect for cooking fish, soups, sauces, and beans because it makes them easier to digest. You could also use dry Vermouth as cooking wine, but an Amontillado Sherry has more flavor, color, and concentrated richness. Do not buy "cooking sherry"—it has additives and a lot of sodium. A real Spanish Sherry costs just $6 to $12 per bottle. Madeira My Dear Madeira is a fortified wine made on the island of Madeira, which sits in the Atlantic Ocean about 400 miles off the coast of Portugal. Madeira wine has been famous since the time of the 13 American colonies when the wine was sent in sailing ships, which took up to 2 years to reach our shores. During that time the thin, dry, acidic white Madeira wine was rocked and heated in its barrels until when it reached its destination it was a caramel-colored, sweet, concentrated wine. Since then Madeira wine has been baked to re-create this effect, and is the only wine in the world that is madeirized or oxidized on purpose to achieve a perfection of deep brown color and burnt sugar richness.

Madeira is usually a varietal wine named after the white grape variety used to make it. The five types of Madeira are Sercial, the driest type, used in Beef Wellington recipes and sauces for main courses and soups. Verdelho, called Verdejo in Spain, has slightly more body, color and richness, but is still very dry. Bual, which is very similar to Verdelho, is also considered a dry style of Madeira. Rainwater, which is a blend of varietals, is light and medium-dry in style and first became popular among America’s founding fathers at the time of the 13 original colonies. Malmsey, the sweetest type, is made from the Malvasia grape and is used in the dessert called English Trifle, which consists of layers of cake, pudding, and fruit. To make sweet Malmsey Madeira the fermentation is stopped in the middle to leave some of the natural grape sugar in the wine. All Madeira is baked in rooms as hot as ovens for several months. Then the wine is fortified to 20% alcohol and most of it is placed in a solera system for aging and blending.

Like Sherry, Madeira is not usually vintage-dated. However, some Madeiras indicate age, such as a 5 or 10 year old Malmsey, and so forth. Madeira is a little more expensive than Sherry, but is terrific in sauces and soups—especially bisques or cream soups because it keeps them from curdling and makes them taste richer. And all Madeira comes with a cork stopper so you can use a little at a time for cooking or drinking over a couple of months. Other countries also make Madeira, but it is not as good as the original from the island of Madeira. To do list Learn the eight types of dessert wines Understand how winemaking techniques determine dessert wine types Marsala and Mozia - Best of Sicily - Marsala Italy Marsala and Mozia Related pages: Wine Country • Selinunte • Ancient & Medieval History • Timeline • Phoenicians • Sicilian Wines • Carthaginians • Romans • Arabs • Normans What's in a name? The inclination to identify Marsala's name with the wine produced there is understandable, but wines are usually named for places, not vice versa.

This city on Sicily's western coast was founded as a Carthaginian colony in 397 BC (BCE) following the destruction of the nearby settlement on the island of Mozia (Mothia) by the Syracusans. Earlier, the region had been populated by the indigenous Sicanians. Lilybaeum, as it was then known, soon emerged as an important naval base. Its position was ideally suited for that purpose, and the Carthaginians used it as the site for their landings in many of their attempts to conquer the island. Lilibeo was the only major city of Sicily that was not completely Hellenized. The Romans conquered it in 241 BC following the great sea battle that also led to the conquest of Drepanum (Trapani). The Romans called it Lilybaeum. Lilibeo covers a large square area only partly bordered by the sea; the sides facing the mainland were defended by a deep moat and fortified towers. Lilibeo managed to defend itself against the attacks of the Syracusan tyrant, Dionysius I, in 368 BC and then Pyrrhus, in 277 BC.

According to the historian Polibius,, Lilibeo was the stronghold that enabled the Carthaginians to maintain their control of western Sicily during the First Punic War.Throughout years of siege and effective naval blockade, Lilibeo resisted Roman conquest and the Carthaginian troops were evacuated only after the peace treaty ending the war. Under the Romans Lilibeo was the seat of one of a pair of questors in charge of the government of the entire island. Cicero held this post, and in 75 BC, described it as a "splendid city." Due to its strategic position along the commercial maritime routes between northern Africa and the Roman province (Italy) Lilybaeum's economy flourished. Not surprisingly, the sea around Marsala has yielded many ancient treasures. With Rome's decline, Vandals attacked and virtually destroyed Marsala in AD 440. It was already becoming a centre of Christianity. The city maintained its place as a crucial maritime port under Byzantine, Arab and Norman rule. To the Arabs it was Mars el'Allah, literally "Port of Allah (God)," hence Marsala. Sicily's wine country lies to the east.

The region was always known for its fine grapes, but it was the Englishman, John Woodhouse, who introduced the fortified wine business here in 1796, having already developed a similar product (Port wine) in Portugal. The early years of the nineteenth century saw the arrival of thousands of British troops in Sicily to bolster the armies of the King Ferdinando I during his exile from Naples in view of the Napoleonic occupation of the Italian mainland. Many were based at Marsala. This experience was more than sufficient to encourage other firms to follow Woodhouse's example. Ingham, Good and Whitaker had soon founded wine businesses of their own. The Florio family set up a firm in 1831. The grape-growing region extends westward toward Salemi, Segesta and Sciacca. This is Italy's largest contiguous viticultural region, and also one of the largest such areas in Europe. Domesticated grapes were cultivated here long before their introduction (by the Romans) in France and northern Italy. On a medieval note, the Norman-era cathedral's dedication to Saint Thomas Becket seems appropriate in view of Marsala's English connections.

It was probably the first church, in Sicily or anywhere, to be dedicated to this saint, who is commemorated in a mosaic icon in Monreale's cathedral. (Becket's family obtained refuge in Sicily during his exile from England.) The structure itself has been extensively modified, though certain medieval features are still visible. The cathedral museum boasts some beautiful Flemish tapestries from the sixteenth century, commissioned by the Spanish monarch Philip II. Of course, there are Roman ruins in Marsala. In the Cape Boéo area are some interesting archeological sites, such as a villa with baths and colorful mosaics, and the Baglio Anselmi Archeological Museum (on Lungomare Boéo) houses some important finds from land and sea, including a Punic era ship. The Church of Saint John (San Giovanni) was built over a cave converted into a home in Roman times, where Roman mosaic floors can still be seen. Many of of Marsala's older streets have a charming Baroque aspect, though the city is generally rather plain.

The city's most noted role in more recent Italian history was its choice by Giuseppe Garibaldi for his Sicilian landing in 1860, a choice determined in no small part by the cooperative attitude of the British commander who allowed the Piedmontese ships to enter the port, and the bribes that made some of the local officials willing to surrender the city with little more than token resistance. Mozia: This tiny island just off the coast north of Marsala was once the home of the Phoenician colony that was expelled in 379 BC and founded Lilibeo (Marsala). The island's role in the events of Sicily's early Phoenician period (before 600 BC) far transcended its diminutive size. The Phoenicians were a seafaring Semitic people from what is now Syria and Lebanon; they founded Carthage and other Mediterranean coastal communities, such as Motia. Therefore, it was only natural that Motia, and then Lilibeo, should side with Carthage in the wars against the Greeks.

Ironically, the Greeks themselves owed much, including a great deal of their language and alphabet, to the early Phoenicians, despite their later political differences with the Carthaginians. The island of Mozia, which is owned and operated by a foundation established by the winemaking Whitaker family (who built the Anglican Church and Villa Malfitano in Palermo), has a remarkable museum and the ruins of an equally remarkable civilization, complete with a harbor and cemetery. Some of the finds on display in the museum have a distinctly Egyptian influence, while others seem almost Hellenic. Though certain of these items were brought to Motia from Asia Minor, others were made locally, based on "foreign" influences. Mozia and its unique museum provide the visitor with a rare unspoiled glimpse into Sicily's Phoenician past. Mothia itself was founded before 700 BC on the island now known as San Pantaleo in a large lagoon ("Stagnone"). Mothia emerged as one of the most prosperous colonies of the Phoenicians' loose Mediterranean confederation.

The more noteworthy features are the fortifications, a submerged road that used to link the island to the mainland, near Birgi, the cothon (or drainage basin and harbour) and the main sanctuaries, in particular the tophet, where the burnt remains of offerings and sacrifices in honour of the god Baal Hammon were collected. Thousands of carved steles where discovered here, and these are the most convincing evidence of Punic sculpture. The most ancient part of old Mozia's industrial area includes several semicircular furnaces, identical in construction to the more ancient pottery furnaces used in Phoenicia. Historians generally agree that the most more violent attacks of the Syracusan army probably occurred near the northern gate, ending in defeat and plunder in 397 BC. For Visitors: Visitors with particular culinary interests seem to expect a certain local mystique when they come to the place where the world's most famous cooking wine is made. (Marsala wine is also served with desserts.) Though its restaurants offer some excellent cuisine to complement this distinguished wine, the city of Marsala could not be described as particularly exciting. Some of the wineries give occasional tours. Last revision November 2012.

Fortified Wines: The difference between Marsala, Port & Sherry Fortified Wines: The difference between Marsala, Port & Sherry By Amanda Ashley , January 21, 2016 Share this: Takeaway: Fortified wines are mixed with a spirit to produce a wine containing over 19% alcohol, the most well known being Port, Sherry, Marsala, Madeira, and Vermouth. Accompanying stereotypes that pop-culture has attached to these wines can lead us to believe that all fortified wines are sickly sweet and a sure way to get drunk quickly, however, this isn’t the case at all. Fortifying wine started as preservation method, which evolved into the development of some of the worlds most delicious and enjoyable wines. History of Fortified Wines While low-end fortified wines became popular after prohibition and during the great depression as a cheap libation to ease weary minds about the days troubles, fortified wines have been made for hundreds of years. Wines were originally fortified as a way to preserve them, so it would last longer before spoiling.

By adding a distilled spirit that contained ethanol, which acted as an antiseptic and preservative, harmful bacteria were killed, allowing the wine to be stored for longer periods of time. Originally wines were fortified with sugar cane spirits until Brandy became popular during the 18th century. It became obvious that Brandy and the storage of wines in wood barrels added new flavors and characteristics to the wine, and new wines were created. The most well-known fortified wines are Port, Sherry, Marsala, Madeira and Vermouth, although almost every country that makes wine makes fortified wine too. How Wines are Fortified As we already covered, wines are fortified by adding in a distilled spirit. The type of spirit and when it is added determines which flavors and characteristics the wine will have; the type of spirit itself will mix with the characteristics of the wine and determine the flavors and alcohol content that the final fortified wine will have. Grape Brandies will impart the concentrated flavors from the type of grape or wine used, while spirits made from sugar beet or sugar cane add more alcohol than flavor. Wines can be fortified during fermentation or after fermentation, which changes the type of fortified wine that is made.

When wine is fortified during fermentation, the yeast is killed, leaving more residual sugar, resulting in a sweeter wine with close to a 20% alcohol content. When the distilled spirit is added after the fermentation process is complete, the wine will be dry and contain less than 20% alcohol. Levels of dryness and sweetness in fortified wines are subject to the rules of the growing region they are regulated by and differ from the rules in place for white, red and sparkling wines. Understanding Brandy Brandy is the spirit most widely used to fortify wines and is made by distilling wine or fermented grape juice. Distilling wine into Brandy was originally a preservation method to preserve the wine. Distilling wine removed water and also concentrated flavor and aroma compounds while removing salts, sugars and pigments; the distilled wine had a unique flavor and a different appearance than the original wine and also had a higher alcohol content, typically of 20-30% alcohol. Brandy was often diluted with water for drinking, though the distillation process became more of an art overtime, and Brandy styles such as Cognac became highly sought after wines to drink and enjoy for their complex flavors.

Because of its concentrated flavors, Brandy was added to weak tasting wines to enhance their flavor and to preserve them. Inexpensive Fortified Wines Inexpensive fortified wines are known more for their low-cost and high alcohol content, usually between 14-20%, than for their flavors. These wines are not regulated by growing region guidelines and are often made from grape and citrus juice, distilled cane sugar and artificial flavors. Port From the Douro Valley in Portugal, Port is typically fortified halfway through the fermentation process with Brandy, resulting in a sweeter wine. Port is available as dry , semi-dry and sweet red wine and is also made in white wine varieties. Sherry Made in the Spanish province of Andulusia, from the protected designation of origin also known as the "Sherry Triangle", Sherry is made from white grapes. Sherry is fortified with Brandy that is added after fermentation, resulting in wines that are typically dry. Sweet sherries can be naturally sweet or can have sweetness added after being fortified. Marsala Marsala is made in Sicily and named after the famous port town of Marsala.

Originally made as a less expensive alternative to sherry and port, Marsala is made as both an unfortified wine and a fortified wine. Fortified Marsala is available in two styles, a young Fine (aged for a minimum of 4 months) and an older Superiore (aged a minimum of 2 years). Madeira A Portuguese wine, madeira is made in the Madeira Islands. It was originally fortified with a sugar cane spirit until Brandy became popular for fortifying wines in the 18th century. Madeira is made in a variety of styles from sweet to a dry and is a popular cooking wine that is often flavored with culinary aromatics to compliment different foods. Vermouth Vermouth is a well-known fortified wine often used in mixed drinks, it is available unsweetened, sweetened or dry. Vermouth is known to have a bitter almost medicinal taste and is flavored with herbs and spices, which different brands having their own secret recipes for the exact blend of cinnamon, marjoram, cardamom, chamomile and other additives. Marsala Wines | Wine List Marsala Wines Fortified Wines Marsala wines are fortified wines that came from the Italian island of Sicily.

The name for this type of fortified wine was derived from the name of the Sicilian coastal town that goes by the same name. Marsala wines are usually made from the local white grape varieties such as the Inzolia, Catarratto and Grillo. Marsala wines are then fermented to dryness with such methods as those being used in making sherry, and then fortified with ethyl alcohol to boost its alcohol content. The sweet styles of some Marsala wines are the result of adding boiled down must or mistela, which is grape juice that has been blended with spirit. Fortified Marsala wine is made by using a process called in perpetuum which is a bit similar to the solera system that is being used in Spain to produce sherry wines. Marsala wines are characterized by their amber color and an aroma that provides hints of its strong alcohol flavor. They are usually classified by two ways- one by their color and two, for the duration of their maturation in terms of years. As to their color classification, Marsala wines may either be ambra or amber, oro or gold, rubino or ruby. They can also be either sweet, medium (semisecco), or dry (semisecco).

As to their classification in terms of maturity, they can either be, Fine, Superiore, Superiore Reserva, Vergine e/o Soleras or Vergine e/o Soleras Stravecchio e Vergine e/o Soleras Riserva. Fine Marsala wines go through minimal aging and can last only as long as less than a year. Marsala wines that are classified as Superiore are those that have been aged at least two years before being bottled. Superiore Reserva Marsala wines are aged longer than the Superiore and should last at least four years. Marsala wines considered for the Vergine e/o Soleras classification should be aged for about five years before they are bottled. Probably the longest aged Marsala wines belong to the Vergine e/o Soleras Stravecchio e Vergine e/o Soleras Riserva, which are Marsala wines that have been aged for at least ten years. Marsala wines are traditional served as an aperitif during the first and second course of the meal. It can also be served as an excellent dessert wine served chilled with a variety of spicy cheeses such as Gorgonzola and Roquefort.

Not only are Marsala wines known as great fortified wines for drinking, they are also used as an excellent ingredient to some very tasty dishes. Marsala wines make also great cooking wines used especially in many Italian restaurants in the US. An example is the use of the Marsala sauce. This sauce is made by reducing Marsala wine by heat almost to a syrup added with onions and shallots. Mushrooms and other herbs are then added. Another recipe that is known for using Marsala wine is the Chicken Marsala. It is done by coating pounded chicken breast with flour and then seasoned with a mixture of Marsala wine, butter, olive oil, mushrooms, and other spices. Some risotto recipes also make use of Marsala wine as an ingredient as well as in a number of Italian desserts such as tiramisu and zabaglione. How often do you drink a glass of wine?

Seldom A few glasses a week A few glasses a day Fortified by Sicily - Bellavita Magazine | Bellavita Expo Fortified by Sicily 16 Jul 2015 Fortified by Sicily Marsala is one of the greats in the fortified wine category, with a rich history, but has these days become known as little more than a cooking wine associated with dishes such as zabaglione . Hopefully that is set to change as a small block of premium producers re-emerge, boosted or enabled no doubt by the tremendous quality push in the last decade for the island’s table wine. This mirrors the situation in Portugal, where renewed interest in Port (on both the part of the producer and the consumer) is due to the extraordinary emergence of ultra-premium table wine. Comparisons with Portugal do not end here. Port was famously created by the British who, when trouble flared with France, sought an alternative wine to their beloved Claret. They turned to Portugal, but the shipping route was rather lengthy as compared to the Paris-London run. And so it was that the addition of (high alcohol) spirit to the bulk wine was found to act as a stabiliser on the high seas.

Decades later, because of high seas off Italy, a trader named John Woodhouse, from the northern English city of Liverpool, found himself forced to seek shelter in the Sicilian city of Marsala. It is on the north-western tip of the island, where it enjoys fantastic weather conditions for wine production: exposure to winds on three sides, low summer rainfall, and year-round pleasant temperatures. Woodhouse so enjoyed the local wine that he decided to ship some back home. Knowledge was on his side. Ivan Cappello, winemaker at premium Marsala producer Vito Curatolo Arini , says that Woodhouse had already had experience of Port and Madeira (the ‘other’ Anglo-Portuguese fortified) and so knew about adding spirit as a stabiliser. Back in the UK, he began to sell Marsala as a sort of sister beverage to Madeira. But as consumer knowledge grew, it became a drink in its own right. As they’d done in Portugal, the British artfully developed production and, to this day, Marsala is the only Made-In-Italy wine allowed to use the English language on its labels.

Contesting to be the longest established DOC in Italy – it was first delimited in 1931, and formalised in 1969 – it is also undoubtedly the most complicated. A bewildering number of 33 types of wine can be created, the three main criteria based on colour (Gold, Amber and Ruby), level of sweetness (from 40g/L to over 100g/L), and extent of ageing (Fine, Superiore and Superiore Riserva). It is a minefield! The British cleverly marketed just four key types, such as London Particular and Garibaldi Dolce, which remain included in the 33 in the DOC. The grapes which are now becoming so fashionable for table wines, such as Grillo, Inzolia and Cataratto, are precisely those used in Marsala production. Of these, Cappello considers Grillo to be the “king”. Birgi is often considered the best sub-region with its clay and limestone soils, but Cappello says Grillo grows particularly well in the Triglia Scaletta sub-region, where sandy soils allow the vines’ roots to go down very deep. This brings more structure to the wine and excellent ripeness.

What is distinctive about Marsala is that the base wines can even reach potential alcohol levels as high as 17%, which means that the spirit addition can even be as low as 1%. This allows the wines to achieve a purity of fruit and a wonderful balance whereby (high) alcohol levels are not detected. Key in Marsala production is the addition of the Mistella – fortified grape juice – which tastes delicious: beautifully honeyed. For the richly coloured Ambra category of Marsala, Mosto Cotto – cooked must – is then added. At Curatolo Arini this is produced in huge copper pots over a traditional wood fire, stirred frequently for 24 hours until it is thick and dark. The stirring is done by a relay of people, so back-breaking is the work. A wine based spirit such as grappa is then added. Of the 33 aforementioned categories, the top are Marsala Superiore and Marsala Vergine, made according to the Solera (sherry) system. The Curatolo Arini Superior Seco can be enjoyed from about three years of age, and it is a fine wine, clean on the finish, with lovely aromas of apricot, fig and nuts.

Vergine needs at least 10 years of age before it is bottled: a barrel sample of the Curatolo Arini 2010 was still quite alcoholic, not yet integrated. The key with Marsala, just as for Port and Madeira, Cappello says, is age. He found some “forgotten” semi-dry wines in the cellar estimated to be 35 years old. Semi-dry here means the perfect balance of sweetness without cloyingness, and what length It shows. Marsala is not easy to find, even though the vast majority of the production is exported. When you do find some, says Cappello, put at least one bottle in the cellar and “forget” about it for about 20 (or 35) years – and serve with Pecorino.

Marsala is one of the greats in the fortified wine category, with a rich history, but has these days become known as little more than a cooking wine associated with… View Article Marsala | Babbo Marsala Sicilia For decades, the most famous wine exports of Sicily were the Sherry-like fortified wines of Marsala, named for the Moroccan-accented port town on the island’s west coast. The wines of Marsala, which have been banished to the kitchen in recent years, are perhaps the most vivid examples of the myriad ethnic influences that shape Sicily’s culture and cuisine. The name Marsala, for example, is thought to be derived from the Arab phrase “Marsah-el-Allah,” or, “port of God,” a name likely bestowed on by the island’s Moorish rulers centuries ago. Marsala wine was first commercialized the British, who, as in Jerez in Spain and Oporto in Portugal, created wines that could withstand long sea journeys by fortifying them with grape brandy. At its most basic, Marsala), like Sherry, is a fortified wine made from white grapes (although there are some versions made from red varieties).

And like Sherry, Marsala is as stylistically diverse as wines come: It can by dry, semi-sweet, or sweet, and it comes in “oro” (gold), “ambra” (“amber”) and “rubino” (ruby) versions. There are also different age categories: Fine (aged only a year, not necessarily in wood); Superiore (aged a minimum of two years in oak or chestnut, and four years for Superiore Riserva); and Vergine/Soleras (aged a minimum of five years in wood and a minimum of ten for those labeled “Stravecchio” or “Riserva”). Confused? Well, that’s Marsala. Generally speaking, the market for the more sippable, Sherry-like styles of the wine has dried up, while mass-market brands used for cooking continue to survive on the margins. Often these wines are made using a substantial percentage of cooked grape must rather than straight wine and grape brandy, a practice which has greatly diluted the character of the wine. That said, one of the lone holdouts in the production of artisan Marsala, Marco De Bartoli, is again shipping his long-aged nectars stateside.

DeBartoli’s “Vecchio Samperi,” an example of the rare Vergine/Soleras style, is aged using the fractional blending method known as Solera, made famous in Jerez, Spain. Using a battery of progressively smaller casks, DeBartoli continually “tops up” his oldest wines with wines from the next-oldest vintage, with the newest wines going in the largest cask at the end of the battery. Vecchio Samperi is more than 40 years old, with the smoky, nutty complexity of a fine Sherry. Try it with aged pecorino cheeses, or maybe slightly chilled alongside some shellfish or other seafood as an aperitif. It is a rare treasure in the world of wine, and while its distribution is spotty in the US, it is worth seeking out. Cooking With Fortified Wines | Wine Enthusiast Magazine Cooking With Fortified Wines Enrich your cooking with Port, Sherry, Madeira and Marsala. By Michael Schachner The fresh produce, barbecues and rosé wines—the culinary boys of summer—have all gone home for the off-season.

Taking their place as the days grow shorter and colder are heartier and richer foods that must be made in the kitchen. And one of the best ways to obtain the additional flavors you desire is to employ fortified wine as a lead ingredient in whatever you might be whipping up. Often underappreciated as everyday drinking wines, Port and Madeira from Portugal, Sherry from Spain, and Marsala from Italy are all capable of bringing invaluable flavor and an extra level of depth to a range of foods—sauces and dressings in particular. Bolstered with brandy and higher in alcohol (usually 17 to 21 percent) than table wines, fortified wines stand up well to the heat of cooking. In a nutshell, they are masters at holding onto their core flavors, which are generally sweet and highly concentrated. And because the wines have been strengthened, they will last for several months after opening. Which is no small bonus if you’ll be doing a lot of cooking this winter. Knowing Your Fortifieds Realizing that Pairings is all about getting you in front of the stove, we don’t want to drum on too long about what is a Malmsey Madeira as opposed to a Bual Madeira.

Or what is oloroso Sherry versus palo cortado; or tawny versus Vintage Port. That said, it’s important to know something about the styles and origins of the world’s top fortified wines before firing up the burners. Port, which hails from the Douro Valley of Portugal, is a fortified red wine (the others are all made from white base wines). The two types of Port most often used in cooking are ruby Port—a bright, fruity, young wine—and tawny Port, which is aged in wood and takes on a tawny, brown color and more complex flavors of toffee, chocolate and caramel. Vintage Port, meanwhile, is a wine meant for aging and drinking on its own. Late Bottled Vintage Port is also a more refined wine that should be sipped by itself or with food. Sherry, which comes from the extreme southwest of Spain, is made by many Sherry houses in a number of styles, ranging from the ultra-dry fino and manzanilla up through amontillado, oloroso and palo cortado, and finishing with the sweet, syrupy cream and Pedro Ximénez versions.

Amontillado and oloroso are arguably the two best classes of Sherry to cook with, as they both impart clear-cut nuttiness along with mushroom and toffee notes. Madeira comes from a like-named Portuguese island off the coast of Morocco. The four major grapes used to make Madeira, in increasing order of sweetness, are Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey. For cooking, we recommend a Reserve-level wine, which will have been aged for at least five years. A Special Reserve, with 10 years of age, will only intensify the flavor of your sauce or salad dressing. And if you wish to purchase a bottle of Madeira for post-dinner drinking, then we suggest an Extra Reserve or a vintage-specific bottling from a high-quality producer. Marsala is a product of western Sicily. It comes in dry (secco), semidry (semisecco) and sweet (dolce) styles, and when a dry or semidry version is reduced with pan drippings and then thickened with some cornstarch, it makes a fabulous sauce for breast of chicken or thinly sliced veal.

Not to be overlooked is a good fortified wine’s pairing potential with nuts, fruits and especially cheeses. In fact, if you are in possession of or are looking to buy an aged Port, Madeira or Sherry, we’d rather you sip it with some English Stilton, a Spanish Torta del Casar or an aged goat cheese rather than cook with it. But who are we to say? Why not trust a sommelier? Jimmy Hayes, the new head sommelier at Per Se in New York, professes to be a “great fan” of old Madeira matched with various cheeses. “When considering Madeira, I try to find cheeses that have similar flavors,” he says. “Idiazabal, a hard sheep’s milk cheese from the Basque country, is a great pair with a Sercial from the ’70s. I like an aged, unsmoked version of the cheese. The nutty qualities in both the wine and cheese match up well, while the higher acidity of a Sercial cuts the fat.” Hayes continues: “With a 10-year-old Gouda, I’d go for a century-old Malvasia (Malmsey) with a round, luscious texture.

The flavors of toffee, nuts and caramel with the crunch of the crystallized cheese create a harmonious combination, while the sugar in the wine mellows the salt. It’s a very rich pairing, not for the faint of heart.” CHORIZO AND SHRIMP WITH PALO CORTADO Cooking with Sherry is made easier by a keen British Web site called Ten Star Tapas. The site is loaded with just about everything you’d ever want to know about Spain’s star fortified wine, from its storied history to what’s happening today in the trio of Andalucian towns where Sherry is produced. Best of all, you’ll find a plethora of recipes from top chefs in the U.K. and Europe. The following is an adapted recipe from Angela Hartnett, a trail-blazing English chef at The Connaught in London. To learn how to prepare other tantalizing dishes, log onto .

2 tablespoons olive oil 2 large shallots, finely sliced 1 pound Spanish chorizo, sliced in 1/3-inch rounds 1Â¼ cup red wine Â¼ cup palo cortado Sherry 4 bay leaves 16 large shrimp, shelled and deveined Flat-leaf parsley, chopped Crusty bread for serving 8 cocktail skewers In a large frying pan or skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until it ripples. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove shallots from pan and set aside. Add chorizo to same pan and sauté, stirring, until lightly browned. Add red wine, palo cortado, bay leaves, thyme and reserved shallots. Simmer until wine is reduced in volume and slightly thickened. Remove from heat, set aside and keep warm. In another pan, heat chili oil and quickly sauté shrimp, stirring, until pink and firm, but be sure not to overcook. Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley. Spear chorizo slices and shrimp on skewers, alternating the chorizo and the shrimp and allowing 2 shrimp per skewer.

Arrange skewers and slices of crusty bread on serving platters. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaves from sauce; drizzle sauce over skewers. Serve immediately. Makes 8 skewers. Wine recommendations: This appetizer will taste great with the same palo cortado Sherry you used to make the dish. We especially like the Peninsula bottling from Lustau; other options include Hidalgo’s Jerez Cortado and Gonzalez Byass’s Apostoles. CHICKEN LIVER PATÉ Laurent Tourondel, the executive chef and driving force behind the BLT group of restaurants in New York, says he loves cooking with Port. For his recipe for a warm paté of chicken livers spread atop toasted country bread, Tourondel points out that a good-quality ruby Port simmered with seasonings significantly enhances the flavors of the spread. “The addition of the Port adds sweetness and balance,” says Tourondel.

“The key to cooking with it, however, is not to reduce it on too high heat because it can get scorched and ruin the flavor.” For the reduction: 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced For the chicken livers: 1 pound chicken livers, trimmed 1 tablespoon sea salt, plus more to taste Â¼ teaspoon pink salt, optional Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons duck fat or extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons chopped shallot 3 tablespoons brandy or Cognac 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 5 sprigs fresh thyme Fleur de Sel, to taste 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 6 thick slices country bread, toasted Cornichons To make the reduction: Tie the bay leaf and 2 sprigs thyme with kitchen twine. In a small, heavy saucepan set over medium-low heat, bring Port, herb bundle, sliced shallot and garlic to a simmer. Cook until Port is reduced to the consistency of thick syrup. Remove herb bundle. Remove from heat and keep warm. To make the chicken livers: Season livers with half tablespoon sea salt, some pink salt (if using) and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon duck fat or oil in a large skillet over high heat. When it ripples, add half the livers and brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side until golden brown but still pink in center, about 1 minute more. Stir in 1 tablespoon each of chopped shallots and garlic; then pour in 1Â½ Tablespoons brandy or Cognac and heat, about 2 minutes. Remove to a bowl and repeat with remaining livers, salt, shallots, garlic and Cognac. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the browned livers and Port syrup and process until smooth. Blend in butter, season to taste with additional sea salt and pepper. Scrape into a terrine or serving bowl. To serve: Remove leaves from remaining thyme sprigs. Sprinkle chicken liver spread with thyme leaves and Fleur de Sel and drizzle with olive oil. Serve warm with toasted country bread and cornichons. Serves 6. Wine recommendations: BLT’s beverage manager Fred Dexheimer believes that a nice rosé Champagne is the proper wine to sip with this paté.

Sticking with that theme, we also like Canella’s light-bodied but lovely sparkling rosé of Pinot Noir from the Veneto region of Italy. PORK LOIN WITH CIDER- MADEIRA SAUCE As the holidays roll around, nothing beats a roast, be it beef, lamb or pork. The following recipe (adapted from a recipe from www. cooks.com) for glazed pork loin topped in a cider-Madeira sauce provides enough sauce for 20 portions. However, you can serve fewer guests simply by working with a smaller roast. At about Â½ to Â¾ pound of meat per person, you decide how big a roast to use; but by all means make the full batch of sauce. More is always better, and you won’t want to skimp.

For the glaze: 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped Â½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper For the pork loin and sauce: 4 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 pork loin, up to 10 pounds 1 (750ml) bottle hard cider 1 (750ml) bottle Madeira Â½ pound shallots, finely chopped 1 whole allspice Â¼ cup cornstarch dissolved in 1/3 cup cold water 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste To make the glaze: Mix chopped garlic and salt and either mash to a paste with a mortar and pestle or process in a food processor. Transfer to a small bowl, mix in molasses and pepper and set aside. (The paste can be made in advance and stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 8 hours.) To roast the pork loin: Preheat oven to 325Â°F. In a large, heavy roasting pan that can be used on the stovetop as well, heat oil over high heat until it ripples. Place the pork loin into it and brown each side.

Remove pork loin from the pan, place a rack into it and place pork loin on the rack, fatty side up. Roast for 20 minutes per pound or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165Â°F. Brush with glaze twice during the roasting time. Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes. To make the sauce: While the pork is roasting, combine cider, Madeira, shallots, and allspice in a heavy saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat until liquid is reduced in volume by half. When pork loin is done, transfer to a serving platter. Deglaze the roasting pan by adding beef broth and stirring to scrape up any browned pork bits. Pour broth into a 2-cup measure and skim off fat. Add skimmed broth to cider-Madeira mixture and bring to a boil. Whisk in cornstarch mixture and simmer about 2 minutes. Then whisk in butter. Remove from heat and whisk in mustard. Strain, season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a gravy boat for serving. Makes 4 cups sauce.

Wine recommendations: The sweet-and-sour unctuousness of the glaze and sauce on a fairly neutral canvas such as pork loin calls for a wine with moderate to full acidity, but also some matching sweetness. Our first choice would be a cru-level Alsatian white wine, including Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer or Riesling. Published on November 15, 2006 Definition and Culinary Uses of Marsala Wine By Stacy Slinkard Updated October 04, 2016. Marsala wine is Italy's most famous version of fortified wine, hailing from Italy’s sunny southern region, Marsala is an ancient city on the coast of Sicily. Like its other fortified cousins - Port , Sherry , and Madeira , Marsala is a higher alcohol fortified wine (usually around 17- 20%) that is available in both sweet or dry variations. While Marsala wine is often recognized more for its use in various cooking and culinary combinations than its shipping status, this has not always been the case.

The History of Marsala Wine During the early 1800s, England had a significant military contingent established in Marsala in response to Napolean and the French occupation of Italy. Consequently, as the British discovered the regional wine and wanted to ship it back to the homeland they employed the same strategy that they discovered for making ​ Port in Portugal. This strategy basically consisted of adding a little grape brandy to the local still wine and voila you have a fortified wine that can endure the arduous adventure of ocean shipping without becoming unpalatable gut-rot in the process. continue reading below our video How to Juice Citrus How is Marsala Wine Made? Marsala is crafted from local, indigenous white grapes – like Catarratto, Grillo (the most sought after grape for Marsala production) or the highly aromatic Inzolia grape. The ruby-colored Marsalas hail from any combination of three local red grape varietals . The fermentation of Marsala is halted by the addition of a grape brandy when the residual sugar content reaches the pre-determined levels according to the sweet/dry style the maker is shooting for.

Similar to the solera system of blending various vintages of Sherry, Marsala often goes through a perpetual system, where a series of vintage blending takes place. How Marsala Wine is Classified: Marsala is generally classified according to its color, age, alcohol content, and sweetness/style. Marsala Color Classifications: Ambra (Amber colored) – made with white grapes. Oro (Gold hues) – made with white grapes. Rubino (Ruby colored) – made with red grapes, like Pignatello or Nerello Mascalese. Marsala Age Classifications: Marsala Fine – designates a Marsala wine that is aged for a minimum of one year. This is a typical cooking wine classification. Marsala Superiore – refers to a Marsala wine that has spent up to three years in oak, but has a baseline minimum of two years in wood. Marsala Superiore Riserva – has a minimum requirement of four years in oak and some producers will give it up to six years. This really starts the Marsala tier that you would look for to use as either an aperitif or dessert fortified wine option.

Marsala Vergine – has a minimum aging requirement of five years and may go up to seven years in oak. Marsala Vergine Soleras – as the name implies is a Marsala blend of multiple vintages, with a minimum of five years of aging. Marsala Stravecchio – aged a minimum of 10 years in oak. Marsala Alcohol Content: The lowest aging classifications typically have the lowest alcohol content. For example, Marsala Fine is typically around 17% abv and the Superiore Riserva designation starts the alcohol content of 18%+ abv. Marsala Sweet/Dry Style Designations: Like other wine sweet/dry designations, Marsala shares the terms: Dolce (sweet – typically denotes a residual sugar content of 100+ grams of sugar per liter), Semi Secco (semi-sweet/demi-sec – typically between 50-100 grams of sugar per liter) and Secco (dry – has a res. sugar content under the 40 grams per liter cut off).

While Marsala is still known and loved as a cooking wine , in recent years the Italian wine designations have improved for this historic wine and as a result, Marsala has been gaining quality ground and catching glimpses of its former glory in the form of both an acclaimed aperitif and dessert wine . Marsala Food Pairings: Smoked meats, walnuts, almonds, assorted olives and soft goat cheese are good options for a dry (secco) Marsala. Opt for chocolate-based desserts and Roquefort cheese for a sweeter Marsala wine pairing. Or just whip up a tasty baked Chicken Marsala recipe and serve the same Marsala wine with the dish. Marsala Producers to Try:

Question: Marsala is a fortified wine from which island?
Answer: SICILY