Top 10 Best Marsala Cooking Wine Taste Reviews
Table of Contents
Top Rated Marsala Cooking Wine
Marsala Cooking Wine – It Can Be Part Of Your Kitchen Too
You might not have consumed a glass of Marsala wine earlier. However, there is every chance that you have tasted a dish of chicken made using marsala cooking wine. Pan-fried mushrooms and chicken drenched in rich sweet-savory marsala wine is an Italian favorite that has gained immense popularity across the world. Many restaurants from around the world use it as a taste enhancer in their eatables. What is this wine all about and what does it taste like? Let us find out here:
What is Marsala Cooking Wine?
Marsala cooking wine is a fortified wine. It got this name because it is produced in the town of Marsala in Sicily Island in Italy. This wine is made using local white grape varieties. Some grapes used to obtain this wine are Damaschino, Catarratto and Inzolia and all these varieties of grapes are native to Italy. However, at times, it is blended with red grapes as well. It is also, at times, fortified and supplemented with a distilled spirit.
What Does Marsala Cooking Wine Taste Like?
As against other types of wine, marsala cooking wine is classified based on its age and color. As it is available in different styles, the flavors also differ. It can range from licorice, dried fruit, and notes of honey, nuts, and brown sugar. Also, the other common flavors are tamarind, stewed apricot, brown sugar and vanilla. You can find this wine in different styles. Yes, you can find it from sappy sweet to a nearly dry style. It is generally served slightly cold at around 550F.
You can find it in a range of nuanced flavors like licorice, walnut, tobacco, honey, dried fruits, apple and cherry. This wine can stay fresh once opened for about a month. To extend its life, you can keep it in a cool dark place.
Is Marsala Cooking Wine Healthy?
Not just marsala cooking wine, any other fortified wine can bring the following benefits. But, before getting into the benefits, you should understand what fortified wine means.
In the present day, refrigerators are used for preserving wine. But, fortified wine was produced before refrigerators were introduced. These wines were made in an attempt to prevent the spoilage of wine by increasing its alcohol content. The wine gets through the fermentation process. It is this process that brings the benefits listed below:
Antioxidant richness: Marsala cooking wine and other fortified wines are rich in antioxidants. So, they can help with neutralizing free radicals to safeguard against chronic diseases and cell damage. Further, this wine has antioxidants like proanthocyanidins, epicatechin and catechin. Also, studies show that your body can absorb antioxidants from fortified wine well.
Heart Health Support: When you take marsala cooking wine in moderate quantities, it can bring down the risk of diabetes, stroke and heart diseases. Studies further show that when people consume this wine, it can bring down the risk of death caused by heart diseases. It also reduces the chances of heart diseases by increasing HDL cholesterol levels and reducing LDL.
Apart from these benefits, with the regular consumption of marsala cooking wine, you can reduce the chances of many chronic illnesses in your family. Nowadays, lifestyle-related chronic illnesses like high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes are common. The chances of these diseases can be reduced with the consumption of this fortified wine.
How to Make Marsala Cooking Wine Taste Good?
For better taste from the marsala cooking wine and to make it taste good, you can use it in the following ways in your cooking:
- For improved taste from marsala cooking wine, you can use it as a dessert wine. In most desserts, it is served traditionally between the first and second courses.
- Also, for better taste, you can serve it chilled with Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Parmesan and other spicy cheeses.
- It is delicious after dinner with ice cream and cookies. Also, it tastes good with fruitcake.
- You can use it for preparing marsala sauce. It involves bringing down the wine almost to a syrup form with shallots or onions. Finally, you can add herbs and mushrooms.
- Above all, marsala is used in some risotto recipes. It is used in the production of rich Italian desserts like shortcakes and zabaglione.
Know the Ideal Temperature For Serving:
You know that the temperature of a food can affect its taste. This holds in the case of marsala cooking wine. When you serve dry marsala, the ideal temperature is chilled between 55-60 degrees. At this temperature, it will maintain its crisp freshness. When it comes to sweet marsala cooking wine, it is better to pour it at room temperature or with mild coolness.
What Foods Go Well With Marsala Cooking Wine?
You will come across different types of marsala cooking wines. Semi-secco and secco marsala wines go well with pastries and fruits. Also, they taste well when served with richly flavored foods like nuts, olives, parmesan, and blue cheese. Dolce marsala is a variant that goes well with decadent dessert wine. Also, it goes well with any type of chocolate desserts like cake, truffles, and tiramisu.
Also, all types of marsala cooking wine go well with food that otherwise finds hard to get a match. Examples include chocolates, Brussel sprouts, and asparagus.
So, when you make any of these dishes mentioned above, you can add marsala cooking wine. For so long, it is being used in restaurants. You might have thought about how the same food tastes better when prepared in restaurants. This is one of the secrets that chefs follow. They add the best marsala cooking wine to some dishes to get the best flavor and taste that you might not have tasted earlier.
What Features Should You Consider When Buying Marsala Cooking Wine?
You intend to buy the best marsala cooking wine, isn’t it? So, you should consider certain features in your shopping. These features will ensure that you will end up with the best ingredient for your cooking. Also, you can ensure better health benefits to your family:
Look For Details About Color: When you compare to buy the best marsala cooking wine, you will find different categories. It is classified based on color. The color difference is due to the type of grapes used to make the wine. Also, the color difference shows up based on the sugar content. So, before you shop, it is better to look for information about the color. Here are some details you should know about the color choices available:
- Gold: When white grapes were used to make the marsala cooking wine, it will be a golden color, otherwise referred to as ora. You will notice the flavor of licorice, hazelnuts, vanilla and raisins when you taste this wine.
- Ruby: You can identify Rubino Marsala with its distinctive ruby red color. It gets an attractive tone due to the red grapes used. It has a fruity flavor and aroma but it will have a tannic and strong taste due to the red grapes used.
Know the flavor: Also, when you intend to buy the best marsala cooking wine, you should consider the flavor as well. The reason is that you can find this wine in different flavors. Here are some details to know concerning the flavor:
- Dolce: This is the sweetest of all. It contains 100 grams of residual sugar per liter.
- Semi-Socco: It will be off-dry or semi-sweet. It can have residual sugar of somewhere between 41 grams to 100 grams per liter.
- Secco: This is the driest variant of all others. It will have around 40 grams of residual sugar per liter of marsala cooking wine.
Know the Age: You will surely experience a difference in the taste based on the age of the marsala cooking wine. Here are some details you should know about the age classification of this food:
- Soleras Riserva/Vergine Riserva/Vergine Stravecchio: It will have at least 18% of alcohol by volume (ABV) and aged more than 10 years.
- Vergine/Soleros: It will have a similar percentage of alcohol as the above classification. But it will be of five years or older age.
- Superior Riserva: With similar ABV, it will be four years or more.
- Superiore: With similar ABV, it will be two years or more.
- Fine: It will have at least 17% of ABV and aged one year or more.
How Much Does Top-Rated Marsala Cooking Wine Cost?
If you find that the cost of this wine is less than $10, it comes under the category of cheap marsala cooking wine. If you find that the word cheap makes you feel that it is of poor quality, you can call it affordable marsala cooking wine. But, if you need high-end marsala cooking wine as you are ready to pay more, you can find options at more than $50. The average cost of this wine varies based on the type of grapes used and the age of the wine.
Final Verdict
Marsala cooking wine is no longer confined to be used in restaurants. You can now use it in your kitchen for enhancing the taste and flavor of your dishes. You can consider the features listed above in your shopping to ensure the right shopping of this wine.
Rate This Article
