Say "Marsala" to most people in the UK and they picture a dusty bottle at the back of the kitchen cupboard, kept for a splash in the saucepan. Say it to our family and we picture home. Marsala is the town where our winery has stood for four generations, and it is the name of the wine that made this corner of Sicily famous. As the nights draw in and Christmas comes into view, there is no glass we would rather pour.
A wine named after our town
Marsala sits on the far western tip of Sicily, in the province of Trapani, looking out over the sea towards Africa. Wine has been made here for centuries, but the fortified style known around the world as Marsala took shape in the late 18th century, when merchants began shipping it abroad. Making it today means carrying on a tradition of more than two hundred years, and we feel that every time we open a cask.
Our own story in these hills began in the 19th century, when our great-grandfather Francesco planted the family's first vines. Four generations later, we farm around 120 hectares across the province of Trapani, certified organic, with our white grapes grown higher up (up to around 450 metres) and our reds in the lower valleys. It is the same sun, sea breeze and soil that give our Marsala its character.
Two native grapes, five years of patience
Our Marsala Superiore Riserva DOC is made from two native Sicilian white grapes you may already know from our table wines:
- Grillo – the grape of Marsala, bringing body, warmth and structure.
- Catarratto – Sicily's most widely planted white grape, adding freshness and lift.
After fortification, the wine rests for more than five years in small Slavonian or cherry oak barrels, followed by three months in bottle before it leaves the cellar. That long, quiet ageing is where the magic happens: the wine takes on a deep amber colour and the rich, nutty, dried-fruit notes that make Marsala so comforting on a cold evening. At 18% it is a wine for sipping slowly, not for rushing.
Aperitif, dessert wine – and the taste of a Sicilian Christmas
We like to say there are no rules when it comes to pleasure, and Marsala proves it. It is excellent as an aperitif and a very fine dessert wine, so it happily opens a meal or closes one. In Sicily it is also a kitchen staple: a splash goes into zabaglione, the warm whipped egg custard, and into classic dishes like chicken or veal alla Marsala, where it gives the sauce its glossy, sweet-savoury depth.
Come December, a bottle on the table feels like part of the celebration. A few pairings we love at this time of year:
- Cannoli – the crisp shell and sweet ricotta cream are a natural Sicilian match.
- Panettone – candied fruit and soft, buttery crumb meet Marsala's dried-fruit notes.
- Christmas pudding or mince pies – a very happy Anglo-Sicilian marriage.
- Aged cheeses – a mature pecorino or Parmigiano with a few walnuts, as an aperitivo.
How to serve it
Our practical tip: serve Marsala slightly cool, around 12–14°C, in a small wine glass rather than a tiny liqueur glass, so the aromas have room to open up. A small pour of 50–75 ml is plenty. As an aperitif, try it a touch cooler; with dessert, let it warm a little in the glass. Because it is fortified, an opened bottle keeps well for several weeks if you re-cork it and store it somewhere cool and dark – perfect for stretching across the whole festive season.
Taste it with us at Veeno
Every Veeno pours the wines of our family estate, so a little piece of Marsala is never far away. Pull up a chair in Leeds, Leicester, Edinburgh, Durham or Northallerton, and ask our team about finishing your meal the Sicilian way. If you'd like to go deeper into our wines, book a 'Trip to Sicily' Wine Tasting Experience or Step Into Our Cellar – a lovely early Christmas present, too. And to learn more about the land behind every bottle, visit our family vineyard.
From our family in Marsala to your table this winter: Salute!
