Story of the wine: Marsala, a port on the western coast of Sicily, was in the 19th century one of Europe’s most sought after wines. Created in the late 18th century by Englishman John Woodhouse who realised its potential as a fortified wine it grew in a very short period to be on a par with port and sherry. This was due in part, no doubt, to Marsala being favoured by Admiral Nelson and his victorious fleet in the early 1800s and subsequently brought the wine to the UK. Now after a long period in the doldrums there are a growing number of producers of Marsala keen to revive the past glories and Martinez is one of them. Established in 1866 Martinez is one of the oldest established producers.