Marsala Superiore Riserva Semisecco Florio 2014

Florio's Marsala Superiore Riserva Semisecco is a Sicilian fortified wine that is striking for its sweet and salty taste at the same time. Fundamental in determining the character of Marsala is the 'falling in love' operation, i.e. the addition to the freshly fermented wine of viticultural alcohol or wine brandy. In the Superiore category, the future Marsala is then also enriched with the so-called "concia", consisting of cooked must and mistelle, the latter produced through the addition of alcohol to the fermenting must to block the fermentation process and thus preserve a certain amount of residual sugar.

Florio Marsala Superiore Riserva Semisecco is made from pure Grillo grapes that grow in the coastal strip of the municipality of Marsala and in the hinterland of the province of Trapani. In particular, the vines are bush-trained in the Marsala bush on medium-textured red soils rich in sand, in the classic Mediterranean and breezy climate that characterises the area. Harvesting is carried out by hand when the grapes are fully ripe and they are then subjected to the pressing operation that precedes fermentation at a controlled temperature in cement containers. Once the fermentation process is complete, the wine is added with mistelle, cooked must and wine distillate and is then aged for 10 long years in oak barrels inside the Florio cellars, just 147 metres from the sea.

Marsala Florio Superiore Riserva Semisecco is characterised by an intense amber colour. The aromatic context is described by the encounter between sweet sensations of dried fruit, sultanas, honey, nougat and dates and deep hints of oak and leather, with hints of vanilla and cocoa on the finish. Rich, warm and savoury on the palate, very persistent and almost pungent on the finish.