If you’re a woman who remembers the ‘70s, you remember wide-bottom pants in wildly colored prints worn with peasant shirts and clunky shoes – styles now appearing again in stores. Men too are seeing a return of suits with tapered pants, thin lapels and skinny ties like those worn 40 years ago. The modern recall of ‘70s fashion might make you think of that decade’s popular TV show, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-in, and its extreme version of a trendy house party. If you can picture in your mind’s eye all of that show’s zany skits – Ruth Buzzi and Goldie Hahn included – try to imagine what the host of a party like theirs may have been serving.

At a recent wine and spirits tasting event, memories of the go-go era resurfaced. Attendees were not prancing around in white boots or Nehru suits, but they were sampling drink and food more popular in the ‘70s than they’ve been in recent decades. What’s clear is that cocktails are back, as are straight up spirits – bourbon, scotch, vodka, and nearly all are being used in foods as well as drinks. Old fashioned wines, too, are making a comeback, and some are showing up in recipes we haven’t seen in a while.

Consider marsala. Known mostly in North America as an important ingredient in a popular chicken dish, it is a Sicilian wine revered more for cooking than for drinking. Like fringed ponchos, both dry and sweet marsala is back in style and again appearing in everything from sauce to pastry to tiny cordial glasses.

Craig Chomsky, a New York personal chef and private instructor, illustrates the merits of a good imported marsala. In a taste test comparing chicken made first with an unidentified domestic marsala, than again with Colombo, a Sicilian brand claiming to be “America’s #1 selling marsala wine,” he made his point. The test showed the difference between brands was distinctive at several sensual layers. The Colombo sauce was darker, its fragrance richer, its taste smoother.

Cooking tests using other imported marsala might have results not quite the same as Colombo’s, but similar. That’s because Sicilian marsala holds its flavor during cooking far better than domestic brands. In fact, according to most chefs, if it isn’t Sicilian it isn’t marsala.

Sicilian marsala is made according to rigid quality standards. First, it is fortified, meaning it has brandy or other grape spirits added to increase alcohol content and sweetness. Sherry, madeira and port are other examples of fortified wines. The aging process is also important to Sicilian marsala. Tricia L.Chimento, CSW, market manager of Total Beverage Solution explains a good marsala “is matured in oak casks for at least 18 months. That’s what gives it a full and rounded flavor that doesn’t break down while cooking.” Domestic marsala is made from a different process altogether.

To know if a wine is a true marsala, look for DOC on its label. DOC stands for Denomination of Controlled Origin, and it is the Italian government’s way of confirming a product’s quality and authenticity. Production features like grapes used, location of vineyard, duration of aging, and amount yielded within a given timeframe must all meet certain standards in order to merit DOC designation. DOC certified marsala wines come from specific regions of Sicily, and most are bottled in ancient wineries. Cantine Florio, a highly popular import, boasts that it has been produced in the “Trapani province of Sicily for 180 years.” Opici notes that it has been making wines “within the DOC zone of southwestern Sicily since 1913.” To Sicilians, age and origin are important.

So getting back to parties, what besides delicious chicken do hosts make with marsala? Well, they make pork, mushrooms, lobster, deviled eggs, pastas and a variety of sauce reductions. They make cake, custards and revved-up fruit glazes. And they make drinks. Like cocktails and highballs, the aperitif has returned and marsala wine is gaining popularity there too. Typically, it is served room temperature before meals; well-chilled, it’s a digestif served with or after dessert.

Excluding a few very high-end labels, most marsala imports are sold by local wine retailers at moderate price-points. Good options range from $7 - $20 per bottle. Sipped or cooked, a bottle of quality marsala goes a long way, and is sure to kick up a party’s Italian ambiance.

Marilyn Cappellino is a syndicated columnist living in Buffalo, NY, a rebounding city where, she happily notes, her five grandchildren also reside.

Meet Marilyn