Marsala Superiore Garibaldi Dolce

APPELLATION: DENOMINATION OF CONTROLLED ORIGIN (DOC)

GRAPE VARIETY: 50% Grillo AND 50% Catarratto

The history, or maybe the legend, tells us that the "hero of two worlds", Giuseppe Garibaldi, returned to Marsala, after liberating the south of Italy from the Spanish (Borboni) domination and after completing the mission of unifying Italy under the Kingdom of Savoia in 1861. When he went back to Marsala on July 19th 1862 with the idea of conquering Roma and the Papal State to complete the unification of Italy and bring the capital from Torino to Roma, he was a guest of Count Grignani and from the balcony of his palace in Porta Nuova he pronounced a famous speech and pronounced the legendary motto "EITHER ROME OR DEATH". The people from Marsala who they came to support him and organized celebrations worthy of his fame, were particularly fascinated by this great man who made the history of Italy as well as of many other countries in South America.

When the General Garibaldi was given and tasted this famous fortified wine, already marketed all over the world by the Englishman Benjamin Ingham, he particularly appreciated the variety Superiore Dolce, which, from that day on, in his honor, was called after his name and is still known as GARIBALDI DOLCE.

After gentle pressing the must is vinified in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature (25/26 °C). Once the base wine is obtained, the "concia" is carried out. This process consists in adding ethyl alcohol of wine origin, cooked must and “mistella” to the starting product so that it can acquire that organoleptic and sensorial complexity, typical of Marsala wine. The mistella is a mixture of partially fermented grape must and brandy of wine or alcohol used to increase the alcohol content up to 16-22° and to make the wine itself non further fermentable.

This wine has a warm amber color. On the nose it is intense and with a great and peculiar olfactory finesse. It releases typical hints of dried figs, carob, caramel, burnt sugar and sweet spices. On the palate it is full-bodied, warm and enveloping, with a sweet but not cloying aftertaste, and a long and pleasant balsamic persistence at the end.

A superb dessert wine, ideal with all dry and creamy pastries of Sicilian tradition, such as Sicilian cannolo or cassata. It can also nicely be associated with aged cheeses, dried fruit and Modica’s handmade chocolate.