In the stewed beef with Cabernet Sauvignon entry, I mentioned that the Cabernet Sauvignon went into the pot because we opened a bottle of Marsala. You know, instead of drinking the Cabernet Sauvignon (yes, while cooking — I’ve been known to do that), because the Marsala tasted better, the Cabernet Sauvignon was used for cooking instead. Well, this is the bottle of Marsala.
Marsala is a wine produced in the city of the same name in Sicily. Like port, Marsala wine is sweet.
From Wikipedia:
Different Marsala wines are classified according to their color, sweetness and the duration of their aging. The three levels of sweetness are secco (with a maximum 40 grams of residual sugar per liter), semisecco (41-100 g/l) and sweet (over 100 g/l). The color and aging classifications are as follows:
Oro has a golden color.
Ambra has an amber color. The coloring comes from the mosto cotto sweetener added to the wine.
Rubino has a ruby color.
Fine has minimal aging, typically less than a year.
Superiore is aged at least two years.
Superiore Riserva is aged at least four years.
Vergine e/o Soleras is aged at least five years.
Vergine e/o Soleras Stravecchio e Vergine e/o Soleras Riserva is aged at least ten years
As you can see in the photo, the Marsala wine that we drank that night was fine, semi-sweet and amber colored. Delicious. I like it better than port wine.
Ms. Connie, do you find that you have an aversion to bitter/sour wines?
I don’t know if I’m weird, but I feel an aversion to them. I prefer drinking port, marsala, even sherry. But “normal” red wines–I can tolerate them, but I really prefer sweet wines.
Are there people who share the same tastes as I do? Sometimes I find it distressing, that people can go enjoy different wines–as in ENJOY the tannins and bitter notes–while I’m very neutral about them.
Seems like my taste buds are kaput or something :p
I don’t like very dry (a.k.a. bitter) wines, if that’s what you mean. I like my wine semi-sweet.
Wow. That relieved me, really. Now I know that my fondness for sweet wines isn’t so weird, and that I can relate to someone now. Thanks miss Connie
Edit: “Aversion” isn’t neutral, hahahaha; what I meant was, when served certain wines, I don’t refuse (out of politeness), but if given a selection, I avoid them thoroughly :p
I’m glad that you found the Marsala to your taste, but perhaps what you need is a good Cab. After all, out of all the world”s wines, Cabernet Sauvignon is king, and it seems as though these days Napa and Sonoma wines are very “in” (I represent Ghost Pines, and our Napa/Sonoma mix Cab is a bestselling varietal). The sweet aromas, superb dark fruit, and ripe, chewy tannins allow wine lovers to find real personality in the wine “ I find Cab to be the most consistently rewarding of the Bordeaux varieties, personally, especially when paired with the appropriate meal.