The DOC Marsala is a liqueur wine, is produced in Sicily, in the area of Trapani, except for the towns of Pantelleria, Favignana and Alcamo.

A historical connection joins the Marsala to the British, in fact, in 1773, the merchant John Woodhouse was sailing along the coast of Sicily directed in Mazara del Vallo but a storm stopped him and he was forced to an unplanned stop in the port of Marsala. Woodhouse had the opportunity, along with his sailors, to taste the wine produced in the area, the one the farmers reserved for their special occasions: the "Perpetuum" (local wine very strong and sturdy). He was so much fascinated of it that he decided to ship fifty barrels, adding a little wine spirits, to prevent altering during the voyage. That wine was a great success in England, so that Woodhouse decided to return to Sicily and begin production and marketing, using the refinement "method Soleras." 

The method, already known in Portugal and in Spain for the production, respectively, of "Porto" and "Sherry", consisted in put the oak barrels on some tiers, starting to fill just the higher barrels of wine, after a year a portion of the wine was racked into barrels that were on the lower level, and the upper ones were filled with new wine, and the procedure is repeated from year to year, in this way the wine that was in the barrels at the base, ready for consumption, was made up of grapes from different years, and from year to year was enriched with special flavors.

In 1833 the entrepreneur of Palermo of Calabrian origin, Vincenzo Florio, began in Marsala the production of Marsala wine in competition with British companies, founding the Cantine Florio. Subsequently Florio acquired the plant Woodhouse, becoming the first producer. Local producers were born: Don Diego Rallo (1860), Vito Curatolo Arini (1875) and Charles Pellegrino (1880). In 1920 the Cinzano acquired the Cantine Florio and other establishments, unifying the production under the brand Florio.

The Marsala assume different names depending on the time of aging: Marsala Fine, minimum 1 year of age; Superior Marsala, minimum 2 years of age; Virgin Marsala or Soleras, at least 5 years of aging, the sugar content: dry, semi-dry, sweet - and color: gold, amber or ruby. The grapes that make up the gold and amber Marsala come from Grillo grapes, or Cataratto, or Ansonica (known locally as Inzolia) or Damaschino. The Marsala Ruby, however, expect to regulate the use of red grapes such as Perricone, or Nero d'Avola, or Nerello mascalese.