Marsala

The Protected Designation of Origin "Marsala" includes liqueur wines with gold, amber and ruby colors. The following specifications may be present on the label: Fine, Superiore (also in the reserve variant), Vergine (also Riserva and Stravecchio) and Soleras (also Riserva and Stravecchio).

Grapes

The blend used for winemaking differs according to the colour of the wine. For the gold and amber ones, vineyards composed of Grillo, Catarratto, Ansonica and/or Damaschino vines are used. For ruby, however, are required the vines Perricone, Calabese and / or Nerello mascalese. In this case, up to a maximum of 30%, white grapes may also be used, provided that they belong to one of the varieties used for the wines gold and amber.

Physicochemical and Organoleptic properties

From the point of view of appearance, Marsala wines can be golden (with different degrees of intensity), amber yellow (also in this case with variable intensity) and ruby red (sometimes accompanied by amber reflections, due to aging). The taste, linked to the sugar content, can be dry, semi-dry or sweet, combined with a characteristic taste and scent. The minimum total alcoholic strength by volume of the designation is between 17,5% and 18% vol. Finally, it should be noted that all Marsala wines are subject to minimum aging, which can be one year (Fine), two years (Superiore), four years (Riserva), five years (Vergine and Soleras) or ten years (Vergine Stravecchio or Riserva).

Grape production area

The production area, which coincides almost perfectly with the province of Trapani, is mainly flat, with slight hills. It is characterized by a Mediterranean-Isular climate, with rainy winters and hot, dry summers.

Specificity and historical notes

The ancient winemaking history of the area is the result of a continuous and constant development over the centuries, to which each population has given its valuable contribution.