Produced exclusively in and around its namesake town on the Italian island of Sicily, Marsala is a fortified wine made with indigenous red grape varieties like Pignatello and Nerello Mascalese, and white ones like Grillo, Inzolia, Catarratto and Damaschino.
It’s fortified with brandy, and ranges similarly in color, available as ambra (amber), rubino (ruby) or oro (gold).
Marsala varies in style, too. It can be dolce (sweet), semi-secco (semisweet) or secco (dry), with flavors that swing from dried fruit and nuts to floral and fresh, to vanilla and licorice. Bottlings are also classified by age and range from young, fine expressions aged a minimum of one year, to Stravecchio bottlings, which are aged in oak for at least 10 years.
In modern times, Marsala has developed a reputation as…
