Marsala is the name for a wine produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily. Marsala wine has Denominazione di origine controllata, or DOC, status. Wine is an alcoholic beverage produced by the fermentation of the juice of fruits, usually grapes. ... Marsala is a seaport city located in the province of Trapani on the island of Sicily in Italy, of 77,784 inhabitants (2001). ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian, Σικελία in Greek) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ... Denominazione di origine controllata is an Italian quality assurance label for food products and especially wines (an appellation). ...

While the city's natives sometimes drink "vintage" Marsala, the wine produced for export is universally a fortified wine. Marsala wine was originally fortified with ethyl alcohol to ensure that it would last long ocean voyages, but it is made that way now due to its popularity in foreign markets. A fortified wine is a wine to which additional alcohol has been added, most commonly in the form of brandy (a spirit distilled from wine). ... Ethyl alcohol, also known as ethanol or grain alcohol, is a flammable, colorless chemical compound, one of the alcohols that is most often found in alcoholic beverages. ...

History

The most creditable version of the introduction of Marsala fortified wine to a wider audience is attributed to the English trader John Woodhouse. In 1773, Woodhouse landed at the port of Marsala and "discovered" the local wine produced in the region, which was aged in wooden casks and tasted similar to Spanish and Portuguese fortified wines then-popular in England. Fortified Marsala wine was, and is, made using a process called in perpetuum, which is similar to solera system used to produce Sherry in Jerez, Spain. 1773 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... Sherry solera A solera is a series of barrels or other containers used for aging liquids such as Sherry, Madeira, Marsala, Mavrodafni (a Greek dark red fortified dessert wine), Muscat, Muscadelle and Balsamic vinegar. ... Sherry solera Sherry is a type of wine originally produced in and around the town of Jerez, Spain. ... Location of Jerez de la Frontera Municipality Cádiz Mayor Pilar Sánchez Muñoz Area    - City 1,186 km²  - Land 1,186 km²  - Water 0. ...

Woodhouse recognized that the in perpetuum process raised the alcohol level and alcoholic taste of this wine while also preserving these characteristics during long distance sea travel. Woodhouse further believed that fortified Marsala wine would be popular in England. Marsala wine indeed proved so successful that Woodhouse returned to Sicily and, in 1796, began the mass production and commercialization of Marsala wine. 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ...

"In 1833, the entrepreneur Vincenzo Florio, a Calabrese by birth and Palermitano by adoption, bought up great swathes of land between the two largest established Marsala producers and set to making his own vintage with even more exclusive range of grape".^[1]

Florio purchased Woodhouse's firm, among others, in the late 19th century and consolidated the Marsala wine industry. Florio and Pellegrino remain the leading producers of Marsala wine today. 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Vincenzo Florio, Jr. ... A prominant Sicilian family who started many lucrative activities involving above all the exportation of Sicilian products (such as marsala wine) in the nineteenth century. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Country Italy Source San Pellegrino Terme Type sparkling pH 7. ...

Characteristics and types

Marsala is produced using the Grillo, Inzolia, and Catarratto white grapes among others. The wine is characterized by its fairly intense amber color, and its complex aroma that shows hints of strong alcohol flavor. Different Marsala wines are classified according to their characteristics and the duration of their aging: Grillo, also known as Riddu is a white grape variety which withstands high temperatures and is widely used in Sicilian wine-making and, in particular, for Marsala. ... Amber is an orange-yellow color that got its name for the material known as an amber. ... Odor receptors on the antennae of a Luna moth An odor is the object of perception of the sense of olfaction. ...

• Fine has minimal aging, typically less than a year
• Superiore is aged at least two years
• Superiore Riserva is aged at least four years
• Vergine e/o Soleras is aged at least five years
• Vergine e/o Soleras Stravecchio e Vergine e/o Soleras Riserva is aged at least ten years

Marsala wine was traditionally served as an aperitif between the first and second courses of a meal. Contemporary diners will serve chilled with Parmesan (stravecchio), Gorgonzola, Roquefort, and other spicy cheeses, or at room temperature as a dessert wine. Alternate meaning: Aperitif (record label) An ap ritif is an alcoholic drink usually enjoyed as an appetiser before a large meal. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Parmigiano_Reggiano. ... Gorgonzola is a blue-headed Italian cheese, made from unskimmed cows milk. ... Roquefort is a flavorful ewes-milk blue cheese from the south of France, and one of the most famous of all French cheeses. ... Room temperature, in laboratory reports, is taken to be roughly 21–23 degrees Celsius (69-73 degrees Fahrenheit), or 294–296 kelvins. ... Dessert wines are those wines which are typically served with dessert, although they are also drunk on their own, i. ...

Marsala is often compared with another Sicilian wine, Passito di Pantelleria (Pantelleria Island's raisin wine). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

In cooking

Marsala wine is frequently used in cooking, and is especially prevalent in Italian restaurants in the United States. A typical Marsala sauce, for example, involves reducing the wine almost to a syrup with onions or shallots, then adding mushrooms and herbs. The most popular Marsala recipe is chicken Marsala, in which flour-coated pounded chicken breast halves are braised in a mixture of Marsala, butter, olive oil, mushrooms, and spices. Marsala is also used in some risotto recipes, and is used to produce the rich Italian custard dessert zabaglione. Cooking is an act of preparing food for eating. ... Wine is an alcoholic beverage produced by the fermentation of the juice of fruits, usually grapes. ... Binomial name Allium cepa L. Onion in the general sense can be used for any plant in the genus Allium but used without qualifiers usually means Allium cepa, also called the garden onion. ... Binomial name Allium oschaninii O. Fedtsch Shallot, as the word is commonly used, or eschallot in some countries, refers to two different Allium species of plant. ... The relative sizes of the Cap (pileus) and Stalk (stipe) vary widely. ... Herbs: basil Herbs (IPA: hə(ɹ)b, or əɹb; see pronunciation differences) are plants grown for culinary, medicinal, or in some cases even spiritual value. ... Risotto prepared with mushrooms and scallions. ... Custard is a range of preparations based on milk and eggs, thickened with heat. ... A selection of desserts Dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a dinner, usually consisting of sweet food but sometimes of a strongly-flavored one, such as some cheeses. ... Zabaglione is an Italian dessert made with egg yolks, sugar, a sweet liquor (usually Marsala wine), and sometimes cream or whole eggs. ...

External links

• Marsala wine recipes
• Lombardo Marsala Wine Company
• Silician wines