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The most popular Marsala recipe is Chicken Marsala—flour-coated breast halves braised in wine, olive oil, mushrooms and spices.
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Made from Sicilian
grapes, Marsala is a famous Italian
wine fortified
with brandy to convert the
sugar into a higher
alcohol content. Rich
and smoky in flavor, it's produced in
secco (dry),
semisecco (semisweet) and
dolce (sweet) styles. The dry variety is often served as an aperitif or
used to flavor poultry, meat and vegetable dishes, while semisweet and sweet
Marsalas are best served with dessert.
Varieties
Marsala is available in different hues depending on the type of grapes
used to produce it. Marsalas
oro (gold) and
ambra (amber) are made with
white grape varietals such as Grillo, Catarrato, Inzolia and
Domaschino. Marsala
rubino (ruby) is made from darker-skinned grapes
such as Pignatello, Calabrese, Nerello Mascalese or Nero d'Avola.
Marsala Speciali (also called Cremevo) is a flavored wine made with 80% Marsala plus other ingredients like
eggs or
coffee.
Grades
Marsala is graded according to its quality level and time it has been aged:
Fine (the lowest level)—at least 17% alcohol and 1 year wood aging.
Superiore—at least 18% alcohol and 2 years wood aging.
Superiore Riserva (also Giaribaldi Dolce-GD, London Particular-LP, or Superior Old Marsala-SOM)—at least 4 years wood aging.
Vergine (the highest quality)—at least 5 years wood aging. Vergine stravechhio or riserva must be aged a minimum of 10 years.
Buying Tips
Beware of commercial "Marsala Cooking Wines" sold in your supermarket's
condiment aisle—they're less expensive for a reason. Made with thin,
cheap base wines,
food coloring and loads of
salt, they're unpalatable
as a beverage. And that breaks our cooking with wine rule of thumb:
never cook with a wine you wouldn't be happy to drink.
Usage Tips
• Offer Marsala as an aperitif between the first and second courses of a meal.
• Serve chilled along with
Parmesan,
Roquefort,
Gorgonzola or other spicy cheeses.
• Add to your
risotto recipe or make a
Marsala sauce for your
chicken breast or
veal.
• Whip up a traditional Italian
zabaglione custard for dessert.
Substitution Tips
Amontillado
sherry can be used in place of dry Marsala in most recipes.
Try one of our favorite marsala recipes:
BJ's Chicken Marsala
Mediterranean Chops with Parmesan Orzo
Strawberries a la Blue Fox
