Marsala wine Marsala wine Marsala is a wine, dry or sweet, produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily. Marsala first received "Denominazione di Origine Controllata" (DOC) status in 1969. The DOC status is equivalent to PDO: most countries limit the use of the term "Marsala" to those wines that come from the Marsala area, to which the European Union grants Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. While the city's natives sometimes drink "vintage" Marsala, the wine produced for export is universally fortified similar to Port, Madeira and Sherry. Originally, this addition of alcohol was to ensure that
Flavored fortified wine MD 20/20, Night Train, Thunderbird, and Wild Irish Rose. The Liquor Control Board approved these restrictions on 30 August 2006. The cities of Tacoma, Washington and Spokane, Washington also followed suit in instituting "Alcohol Impact Areas" of their own following Seattle's example. Flavored fortified wines have appeared in numerous songs as well as other media forms. Flavored fortified wine inspired the Guns N' Roses song "Nightrain". ZZ Top (on "Fandango!"), Seasick Steve, (on "I Started Out with Nothin and I Still Got Most of It Left"), and They Might Be Giants (on "The Spine") have all recorded songs titled "Thunderbird".