| A rich, Italian wine to which brandy has been added to convert the sugar into a higher alcohol content. As a fortified wine, Marsala is made in both dry or sweet varieties. The dry Marsala is commonly used as an ingredient in recipes for Chicken Marsala or Veal Marsala and is the variety often used to flavor a variety of poultry, meat, and vegetable dishes. The sweet Marsala is mostly used for desserts or served as a dessert wine.
Available in three different hues, Marsala can be purchased as a gold (oro), amber (ambra) or ruby (rubino) colored beverage depending on the grapes used to produce the beverage. Gold and amber Marsala is made from white skin grapes such as Grillo, Catarrato, Inzolia, and Domaschino varietals. Ruby Marsala is produced from the darker skinned red grapes such as pignatello, calabrese, nerello mascalese, or nero d'avola grapes. When Marsala is aged it is graded according to the years it has been ripening in flavor. 1 year old Marsala is considered to be a "Fine" grade; 2 year old Marsala is rated as "Superior" grade; 4 year old is rated as "Superior Reserve" and; 5 year old Marsala is rated as "Virgin." |
