Description
The Marsala PDO is reserved for the following types of wine: Marsala Oro (gold), Marsala Ambra (amber) and Marsala Rubino (ruby).
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.
Description of product typologies
Marsala PDO is a liqueur wine with an intense aroma and faint hints of vanilla, burnt honey and roasted hazelnuts; it is smooth on the palate, with hints of liquorice and almond. Marsala PDO wines have different designations depending on the colour: Marsala PDO Oro, Marsala PDO Ambra and Marsala PDO Rubino. Marsala PDO Oro wines are golden, varying in intensity; they are made from white grapes and the addition of cooked must is not permitted. Marsala PDO Ambra wines are amber-yellow, varying in intensity; they are made from white grapes, with the addition of more than 1% of cooked musts. Marsala PDO Rubino wines are ruby red, acquiring amber reflections with ageing; they are made from black grapes, with the possible addition of a maximum of 30% white grapes; the addition of cooked must is not permitted. The Marsala PDO can display the following specifications: Fine, aged a minimum of 1 year; Superiore, aged a minimum of 2 years; Superiore Riserva, aged a minimum of 4 years; Vergine and/or Soleras, aged a minimum of 5 years; Vergine and/or Soleras Stravecchio and Vergine and/or Soleras Riserva, aged a minimum of 10 years. The ageing period commences on the day the tanning operations are completed. Ageing must take place in wooden recipients, preferably oak or cherry, except for the first 4 months of Marsala PDO Fine wines, which can be spent in recipients made of other materials. The specifications Dry, Semi-Dry and Sweet depend on the sugar content. Marsala PDO wines can be defined as “Conciato” (tanned) if the so-called “concia” is added to the wine: this is the producer’s own characteristic blend, mainly composed of cooked must, concentrated must and mistelle (when the fermentation of the must has been blocked through the addition of alcohol), added to increase the aromatic components and sweetness of the final product.
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 specifications relative to the colour (Oro, Ambra, Rubino), sugar content (Secco, Semisecco, Dolce) and ageing (Fine, Superiore, Superiore Riserva, Vergine and/or Soleras, Vergine and/or Soleras Stravecchio, Vergine and/or Soleras Riserva). In addition to the above-mentioned specifications, the following are also permitted: the production year, intended as the year in which the last “concia” was added to the wine; “Vecchio” for Marsala PDO wines that possess at least the minimum characteristics to qualify as Marsala PDO Superiore; for Marsala Fine wines, the use of the acronym I.P. or the full form Italia Particolare (to indicate that the wine was initially reserved exclusively for the national market); for Marsala Superiore wines, the use of the acronyms S.O.M. (Superiore Old Marsala) or G.D. (Garibaldi Dolce – to indicate the characteristics obtained from two years or more ageing in wooden barrels), or L.P. (London Particular or Inghilterra).
