Marsala

[Jason Perlow]

http://wine.about.com/library/types/bl_marsala.htm

I got to thinking about Chicken Marsala and I noticed that many of the recipes called for "Marsala Wine"

Other than for use in Chicken Marsala and other dishes, who drinks this stuff and when do you drink it? Who are the best producers?

EDIT: I notice that Pellegrino is one of the bigger producers of the stuff.

This is what my local megastore carries:

http://www.wineaccess.com/store/totalwine-...ne_name=marsala

[tommy]

drink it? i can't even eat dishes that use it. although perhaps those dishes have some pretty crappy marsala in them.

[Jason Perlow]

Right, even for cooking, I'd like to know what a GOOD Marsala is.

I happen to really like Chicken Marsala, actually.

[hwilson41]

I happen to really like Chicken Marsala, actually.

Essentially the same dish made with veal instead of chicken is pretty damn good too. I usually buy Florio dry (Fine), but others more knowledgeable may tell me it's rotgut. Taste is quite pleasant, but then if you start out with a supreme (or veal scallop), mushrooms, wine and cream, how far wrong can you go ?

THW

[Jason Perlow]

Yeah, I like either variation of sauteed Marsala dishes.

[Alberto]

Hello all.

Marsala is one of the great wine world bargains. (at least in Italy).

Very seldom even 10 or 15 years old vintages cross the $20 price tag.

The best grape for Marsala is probably grillo, but other grapes (inzolia, catarratto) are used. There is also a Ruby marsala made with red grapes included nero d'Avola, but production is tiny I think.

For a quality product you've got to read the label. All good Marsala is DOC. Then look for the words Superiore (2 years in wood) and Superiore Riserva (4 years or more); if there is also the word Vergine you have a wine in which only alcohol was added after the fermentation and it's aged for a minimum of 5 years in wood; if there's not, also mistella (concentrated sweet must + alcohol) could be added, if there is the word Ambra which indicates an amber color. Marsala Superiore and Vergine have a minimun of 18% ABV.

Marsala can be either solera-aged or statically aged, wood vessels can well be huge 20 hl carati (bins) or smaller barrels to impart different rates of aging. The biggest house is Florio which only bottles vintage wine under various specifications; Pellegrino bottles both NV and old vintages; Martinez employs solera system and bottles at 5, 10 and 15 years of age, and so does Vini Rallo.

The list of producers can be longer, but I didn't tasted too much from those others.

Anyways, bargains.

Cheers,

Alberto

[Jeffy Boy]

I usually only use Marsala in cooking - recently did an Italian Sausage & Wild Mushroom Risotto where I substituted Marsala for Madiera. It turned out beautifully.

Marsala served as a dessert wine is a good match with bittersweet chocolate, and with it's raisin-like flavour pairs well with fruitcake. Might be a good way to actually eat that Christmas fruitcake!

[Andre]

Thanks for the post Alberto,

I am familliar with Rallo and Pallegrino and enjoy both.

For cooking I use the All'ouvo but only towards the end otherwise it turns sour and pretty much characterless.

With chicken I grate a reggiano on top, with veal - as is.

[Alberto]

Thank you, Andre.

Marsala all'uovo is a nasty sticky concotion which determined the distruction of the reputation of Marsala throughout the world. Now thanks God it has to be labelled Cremovo and obviously has no DOC wine status. Avoid that crap even in cooking and turn to a good straight Semi-secco wine.

Great Marsala, IMHO, is off-dry to bone-dry (the Secco category has to contain less than 6% RS but when you see that on the label you can well have a completely dry wine) but all the houses have a Semi-secco (6-14%) and a Dolce (+14% RS) in their portfolio. Vergine tends to be the driest style sometimes dominated by acidity and oak.

Most houses have a range of other sweet (natural or fortified) wines from elsewhere in Sicilia but that's another story.

Alberto

[Andre]

Thank you very much,

I was starting to think that my cooking was bad,

Promise to give it a shot.

Do you know of any Insolia based Marsala ?

I am growing to like this grape more and more.

[Alberto]

Oh, no implies about your cooking skills in my last post, of course... It's only that Marsala all'uovo is REALLY nasty IMHO.

Inzolia (or insolia) can do good dry whites, I've tasted only one of them though, quite some times ago. There's also a Tuscany DOC (on the south, around Argentario cape) called Ansonica Costa dell'Argentario which is 100% insolia (insolia is sicilian for ansonica).

The other sicilian white grapes are often vinified as table wines too, alone or blended together or with chardonnay. Anyways, I know that grillo is employed alone for some Marsala, as it's considered the best grape, but don't know if there's a 100% insolia.

Cheers,

Alberto

[Andre]

Thank you very much.

I did try sveral Insolia - Chardonnay wines of which I found Mezzo Giorno by Pasqua & Fazio a very good value for the money.

p.s.

Don't worry about implications The moment I step into the kitchen I leave my ego out.