Marsala Wine Tour
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Tour descriptions
Your wonderful Marsala Wine Tour begins when you’re picked up at your hotel or port of call and taken on a scenic drive through the beautiful Sicilian countryside, comfortably seated in a luxury vehicle with your friendly driver.
We have meticulously selected the most intimate and exclusive Marsala wine estates for this private chauffeured wine tour, during which you'll learn about Italy's most famous version of fortified wine.
During your first visit of a top rated winery in the Marsala region, the winemaker and her assistant will explain the meaning of the Solera method used for the production of Marsala and how the wine is classified according to its color, age, alcohol content and sweetness/style. The guided tour of the winery will be followed by a delicious tasting of the best expressions of this unique meditation wine.
Your tour continues with a visit of another historic winery where, after a guided tour of the cellar, we will taste not only Marsala but also a wide range of dry, unfortified wines produced with the indegenous grape varietals such as Cataratto, Grillo and Perricone grapes.
At the end of the wine tasting, you will be driven along the spectacular Via del Sale (Salt Route) which offers a truly unique landscape. Hot Scirocco winds and long, sun-drenched summer days combined with the shallow water of the lagoon make it an ideal place for salt-making. Ancient windmills and piles of salt with the Egadi Islands in the background will take your breath away. Before returning to your hotel, you will have plenty of time to walk along the salt pans and learn how salt is made from start to finish.
Note: While your chauffeur service is private, please be aware that during the wine tours at certain wineries, you may be grouped with other wine enthusiasts. However, rest assured that all tastings and lunch will be conducted in a private setting.
Historical informations
Tradition has it that the English trader John Woodhouse landed at the port of Marsala in 1773 and discovered the local wine produced in the region. This wine was aged in wooden casks and tasted similar to Spanish and Portuguese fortified wines then popular in England.
Seeing an opportunity of business, Woodhouse shipped a good quantity of barrels of Marsala to England to test the wine’s marketability. As was the custom of the time, the barrels of Marsala were fortified with additional alcohol to help them withstand the long sea voyage. The British fell immediately in love with it and Woodhouse return to Sicily to establish his own company to produce Marsala. During the 20th century vast amounts of low-quality, insipid Marsala were produced and the wine consequently fell out of favor. In the 1980's Marsala wine had reached the lowest reputation possible, relegating it to the kitchen to be used in the preparation of chicken Marsala and Zabaglione. In the same decade though some winemakers such as Marco De Bartoli focused on quality rather than quantity, marking the beginning of a Marsala renaissance. This oxidated and fortified legendary wine produced with the solera method is now awaiting to be rediscovered.
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