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
Tyuleny Island (Sea of Okhotsk) hunted on the island between 1854 and 1897. Over 100,000 were caught, with over half being taken by foreign vessels illegally. This led to the seizure of several schooners by Russian men-of-war in 1884 and 1891 and the arrest of a party of seventeen men left by a British vessel in 1895. There are many seals on Tyuleny's shores and in its surrounding waters, hence its name which means "seal" in the Russian language. It was formerly called "Robben Island" from the Dutch name for seal. In the spring and summer seabirds nest on the island, including crested, parakeet and