Florio

Premium Marsala Wine, from Marsala, Italy. Florio represents an Italian icon — from pioneering this full-flavored type of fortified wine in the 1800s to consistently producing only the highest quality Marsala. You can enjoy Italy’s #1 Marsala in so many ways, with a versatility distinct from any other wine or spirit. Savor Florio as a premium Italian flavor in food and dessert dishes, cocktails, or on its own in a neat style. Salute!

The Duca di Salaparuta Group, gathered together by the Reina family, consists of three historic wine brands (Duca di Salaparuta, Corvo, and Florio) and today constitutes the largest private wine group in Sicily. Founded in 1833 by Vincenzo Florio, the Florio Winery in Marsala looks out towards the bright sea of western, or “occidental,” Sicily. Made from the Trapani area, Grillo is a vine rich in history with characteristics that have given it the lead role in Marsala production. Marsala has been produced for more than 200 years, a famous Italian fortified wine named after the Sicilian city it belongs to.

The birth of Marsala dates back to the late 1700s when John Woodhouse, a famous English merchant, arrived on the island in search of barilla (soda ash obtained from plant sources used in soap and glass production). He was instead "conquered" by wine, bringing back 60 casks of Sicilian wine. To keep the wine good over the course of his journey, he added brandy, and thus, Marsala was born. In 1800 Admiral Horatio Nelson, considered a hero in the British navy, chose Marsala as a supply for the fleet, calling it "a wine worthy of any gentleman's table” and “a real boon [blessing] for our sailors.” A consequence of the Continental Blockade in 1807, an embargo against British trade by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Marsala trade gained favor, and many English traders landed in Sicily to produce the famous wine. Vincenzo Florio himself founded his cellar in 1833, which over the years has become a predominant reference for the production of Marsala.

Currently, the Florio cellars house around 80% of Italy's production of the real Marsala, the basis of which starts almost exclusively from the Grillo grape. In the Trapani area, located on the coastline of western Sicily, are vineyards set in the sunny countryside chosen for their hillside position near the sea. With mixed land tending to calcareous-sandy or siliceous-clayey soils, the climate is temperate with mild winters and very dry springs and summers, but with broad temperature differences. This plus proximity to the sea allows the land to avoid excessive heat and stimulate good ventilation. Grillo grapes thrive here and are carefully over-ripened in a wild landscape made of sun, wind, and sea.

After careful selection of the bunches in the field, the grapes arrive in the cellar where they are fermented in concrete tanks. At the end of fermentation, the fortification — or as Florio calls it, the "falling in love" — between alcohol and wine takes place. Finally, it is left to age in wooden barrels in the iconic Florio cellar. With micro-oxygenation techniques, controlled amounts of oxygen are added to the wine. This, along with varied kinds of oak, add personality and color to the maturing Marsala. Without air conditioning and close to the sea, unique temperature and humidity guarantee excellent aging conditions and enticing aromas. Unexpected and original, it’s space, time, and oxygen that breathe life into the rich complexity of Florio wines.

Committed to environmental, social, and economic sustainability, the Duca di Salaparuta Group is the first company in Sicily to obtain two sustainability certifications: VIVA and Equalitas. Marsala Florio falls within the DOC Marsala protected denomination, one of the oldest in Italy, which enriches the territory, supports its social fabric, and enhances Marsala consumption.

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