Florio Marsala: Sicilian Fortified Wine Made in Marsala Since 1833
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Sicilian Marsala deserves its own time in the spotlight, and a place alongside your aperitivo. Like Port, Sherry, Madeira and Vermouth, Marsala is a fortified wine: a grape-based spirit is added during production to raise the alcohol. Producer Florio shows why it can become a new favorite drink.
Marsala has notes of stewed apricot, vanilla, brown sugar and acacia honey, and a salty-savory-sweet profile that makes it a good partner for food. The ocean and volcanic influence add savory notes such as green olives, fennel and bay leaf.
For a savory pairing, try pungent blue cheeses, nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano drizzled with honey or a classic Sicilian crostini with anchovies. For a sweet bite, follow the dried fruit aromas with dried apricot, nuts or chocolate. Choose a Marsala as sweet as or sweeter than the bite, so it does not get lost.
Marsala adds depth to a classic Italian sauce and can replace wine, vermouth or a spirit in a recipe. It also works in sweet dishes, such as drizzled over a scoop of gelato. Cook with something you would want to drink; the Vecchioflorio line is a favorite.
Chill the Marsala to around 55°F, which takes a little over two hours in the refrigerator. Marsala was historically served as an aperitivo, so pour it with a few small bites. Every Florio Marsala is good this way, and each line shows its own style.
Swap Marsala for another fortified wine such as vermouth, or mix it with tonic water. The Florio Vintage and Vecchioflorio lines are favorites, though every Florio Marsala works in its own way. One option is the Sicilian Spritz.
Stir the Marsala with ice in a mixing glass until well chilled. Strain into a wine glass filled with ice, then top with Prosecco and a splash of soda water. Remove a 1-inch wide strip of orange peel, squeeze it over the glass to spritz the oils, add it to the glass and serve.
Vincenzo Florio founded Florio in 1833, and the winery played a key role in building a global love of Marsala in the 1800s. At nearly 200 years old, it is the oldest Marsala winery in the world. It is also one of the few that make authentic Marsala in the town of Marsala itself, with cellars on the Sicilian coast built to capture the effect of the sea.
Production starts with a hard press of the must from 100% native Sicilian Grillo grapes. The must ferments into the base wine, Vino Florio. Next comes Innamoramento (falling in love), when the grape spirit is added to the base wine. This is the step that turns standard wine into Marsala, and the winemakers choose the sweetness style while the base wine is still fermenting.
Florio makes two types. Marsala Vergine combines fully fermented base wine with alcohol and time, and is aged at least 5 years (10 for vergine riserva). For Marsala Superiore, alcohol is added during fermentation, a process called mistella, to keep some natural sweetness. Motto costo, or cooked must, may be added for the amber color and caramel flavor. Superiore is aged at least 2 years (4 for superiore riserva).
The winery holds more than 3,000 oak containers in four cellar compartments, each with its own natural climate. Wines move from barrel to barrel to monitor the Angel's Share, the natural evaporation through the oak. Barrels near the sea are cooler and more humid, with a lower Angel's Share and a fruitier, gentler Marsala. Barrels farther from the sea are warmer and drier, with a higher Angel's Share and a more concentrated, intense Marsala.
Florio's redesigned labels tell this story. They show a map of the cellar with the path each wine takes, the year of Innamoramento, the years of aging by number and category, the percentage of Angel's Share and an individual bottle number.
Marsala is a fortified wine: brandy or a neutral grape-based spirit is added to a fermenting or fully fermented wine. When the spirit goes in during fermentation, the wine is sweet. When it goes in after the wine has fermented dry, the wine is dry.
Marsala is named after the old port town on the western coast of Sicily. According to the source, Englishman John Woodhouse was the first to make it, in the 1700s. It is traditionally made from local grapes such as Grillo, Catarratto Bianco, Inzolia and Damaschino. Blends with red grapes make a Rubino, but these are extremely rare.
Styles are classed by color, sweetness and aging. Color: oro (golden), ambra (amber) and rubino (ruby). Sweetness: secco (under 4% residual sugar, or 40 grams per liter), semisecco (4–10%, or 41–100 grams per liter) and dolce (over 10%, or 100 grams per liter).
Marsala is not labeled by harvest vintage. For Florio, the vintage is the year of Innamoramento, when the base wine is fortified. Aging is shown on the label:
Find Florio Marsala at your local Eataly or online at Eataly Vino.
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