Marsala

This fortified Sicilian wine is listed apart from other wines because of its special role in cooking. The name is of Arabic origin, meaning “the port of God,” but it is actually produced in the western tip of Sicily, in Marsala, a town in the province of Trapani. The wine was born by accident: An Englishman named John Woodhouse was in Trapani around 1770. He wanted to bring some local wine back to England, so he put some in a red wooden cask and added more alcohol to fortify it for the trip. This process is not unlike that used by English wine merchants in importing Madeira, port, and sherry from Iberia. As methods of cultivation, distillation, and fortification were refined, Sicily’s most famous wine came into being. British merchants traded heavily in Trapani and were greatly alarmed when Garibaldi and his army of a thousand men landed there to start the march through Sicily and up the Italian peninsula to campaign for Italian unity. The British were greatly relieved when their Marsala was left untouched. There is now a type of Marsala Superiore labeled “G.D.” (Garibaldi Dolce). The finest is probably Marsala Vergine, which is aged at least 5 years and is the original wine without anything added to it. You may use Vergine, Fine, or Superiore for cooking.