Description
The Marsala PDO is reserved for the following typologies of wine: Gold Marsala, Amber Marsala and Ruby Marsala.
Production Area
The production area of Marsala PDO is within the entire territory of the Province of Trapani, excluding the municipalities of Pantelleria, Favignana and Alcamo, in the Sicily region.
Blends
Marsala Gold, Marsala Amber: Grillo, Catarratto, Ansonica or Inzolia, Damaschino, individually or combined.Marsala Ruby: Perricone (locally known as Pignatello) and/or Calabrese (locally known as Nero d’Avola) and/or Nerello Mascalese, with the possible addition of white grapes originating from the Grillo and/or Catarratto and/or Ansonica or Inzolia and/or Damaschino grape varieties, max. 30% of the total.
Description of product typologies
Marsala PDO is a liqueur wine with an intense aroma and light hints of vanilla, burnt honey and roasted hazelnuts; it is smooth on the palate with sensations of liquorice and almond. Marsala PDO wines assume different designations depending on the colour: Marsala Oro, Marsala Ambra and Marsala Rubino. Marsala PDO Oro wines are golden in colour, varying in intensity; they are produced with white grapes and the addition of cooked must is not permitted. Marsala PDO Ambra wines are amber-yellow in colour; they are produced with white grapes, with the addition of more than 1% of cooked musts. Marsala PDO Rubino wines are ruby-red in colour, acquiring amber highlights with aging; they are produced with black grapes, with the possible addition of white grapes, max 30%, and the addition of cooked must is not permitted. Marsala PDO can display the following mentions: Fine with minimum 1 year aging, Superiore with minimum 2 years aging, Superiore Riserva with minimum 4 years aging, Virgin and/or Solera with minimum 5 years aging, Virgin and/or Solera Stravecchio and Virgin and/or Solera Riserva with minimum 10 years aging. The aging period commences from the date of completion of the tanning operations. Aging must take place in wooden recipients, preferably oak or cherry, aside from Marsala PDO Fine wine which can pass the first 4 months in recipients made from other materials. The specifications Dry, Semi-Dry and Sweet depend on the sugar content. Marsala PDO is defined as “Conciato” (Tanned) if tannins are added to the wine in order to increase the aromatic components and sweetness of the final product; namely, the characteristic blend of each producer, mainly composed of cooked must, concentrated must and mistelle (when the fermentation of the must has been blocked through the addition of alcohol).
Additional specifications
The Marsala PDO designation can be presented on the label as Marsala, vino Marsala or vino di Marsala with the optional addition of indications relative to the colour (Oro, Ambra, Rubino - Gold, Amber, Ruby), sugar content (Secco, Semisecco, Dolce) and aging (Fine, Superiore, Superiore Riserva, Vergine and/or Solera, Vergine and/or Solera Stravecchio, Vergine and/or Solera Riserva). In addition to the above-mentioned specifications, the following are also permitted: indication of the production year, intended as the year in which the wine was last preserved; the indication “Old” for Marsala PDO wines that possess at least the minimum characteristics to qualify as Marsala PDO Superiore; for Marsala Fine, the use of the I.P. acronym (Italia Particolare - Italy Particular - indicating that the wine was initially reserved exclusively for the national market), for Marsala Superiore the use of S.O.M. (Superiore Old Marsala) or G.D. (Garibaldi Dolce - Garabaldi Sweet - indicating the characteristics obtained through two years or more aging in wooden barrels), and for Marsala PDO Superiore the use of L.P. (London Particular or England).
