Do you like Madeira, vermouth, port or sherry, but haven’t tried Marsala? Then it’s worth the modest expense for Pellegrino’s Marsala Superiore ($13.80, but on sale at the LCBO for $11.80 until November 7.) This is the only regularly available Marsala in the LCBO that’s actually from its native land of the northwestern coast of the island of Sicily.

The Pellegrino Cellars of Marsala, founded in 1880.

English trader John Woodhouse was the man responsible for introducing Marsala beyond its borders, after being greeted with a glass during a 1773 visit to Sicily. (Fortified wines were particularly popular in the day, given that adding the splash of a spirit—usually brandy—considerably lengthened the life expectancy of a wine for its extended ocean transit.)

This particular non-vintage fortified dessert wine from Pellegrino is composed of native Grillo, Catarratto and Inzolia grapes, picked “at advanced maturity,” the winery notes. Fermentation is halted with the addition of a neutral alcohol, before the cooked grape must is included. A minimum of two years of aging in oak barrels follows.

The end product pours a brilliant viscous amber. Its sugar content registers at 114 grams per litre, clearly placing it in the “Sweet” category for Marsala wines, which is why it’s so commonly used in cooking to make carmelized sauces (think “Chicken Marsala”) and as an ingredient for Tiramisu (there’s even a recipe on the bottle tag!).

On the nose, there are notes of raw honey, orange rind and vanilla, while the palate suggests figs, raisins and stewed plums.

And while the 118 g/l of sugar might seem steep, don’t expect the sappy sweetness of many icewines, which usually register in the 160-240 g/l range. The fact that the 18% alcohol is fairly prominent might also help to counter some of that sugar. The result is a lovely pairing for everything from a variety of cheeses to cookies and ice cream, although it also works quite well on its own as an after-dinner digestif.

Just an excellent value overall! 89