Marsala Superiore Secco Florio 2016

With its intriguing savoury, dry flavour, Florio's Marsala Superiore Secco is ideal for trying unexpected pairings, such as with oysters. This Marsala reflects the long and established tradition of the Florio family, a company founded back in 1833 in Marsala by the entrepreneur Vincenzo Florio, the first to produce Marsala managed 100% by Italians. After a difficult start, due to the lack of demand for Marsala at the time, the winery established itself as one of the most important in the area along with the Anglo-Sicilian Woodhouse and Ingham-Whitaker. Today Florio continues to be a leader in the sector, with its Marsalas reaching every corner of the globe.

Florio Marsala Superiore Secco originates from pure Grillo grapes grown on the medium-textured sandy red soils of the coastal strip in the municipality of Marsala and the hinterland of the province of Trapani. The cultivation system is the Marsala bush and low espalier system while the area's climate is Mediterranean-insular, with strong, constant winds. Harvesting is carried out late in the year in order to collect overripe grapes, which are then pressed vigorously using a traditional wine press. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in cement vats and is followed by the addition of cooked must, a small percentage of alcohol and the so-called 'sifone', partially fermented grape must that has had alcohol of viticultural origin added during the fermentation process. The subsequent ageing phase lasts for 5 years, spent in truncated conical vats and wooden barrels of different sizes within the four Florio cellars.

Florio's Marsala Superiore Secco has an intense amber colour. Hints of bread crust, honey and vanilla are perceived on the nose, while on the palate it is clean and well-defined, with a dry, warm and direct progression that rests on a finish that is soft and savoury at the same time.