Decoding Malvasia
Malvasia is a term that refers to a multitude of grapes, some related but most not. The grape that makes a Malvasia in Rioja is not the same as one from Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
As decoded from reference to Wine Grapes by Jancis Robinson, 18 unique “Malvasia” grape varieties are named, all which are genetically distinct. Many other synonyms exist as well, all pointing back to an entry on this list of 18.
The name “Malvasia” itself has a few variants depending on the base language:
- Malvasia – Italian, Greek
- Malmsey – English
- Malvoisie – French
- Malvagia – Spanish
- Malvasier – German
- Malvasijie – Croatian
- Malvelzevec – Slovenian
List of 18 Malvasia Grapes:
Primary Grapes – Listed in alphabetical order. Most are white grapes, aside from black grapes indicated in BOLD.
- Malvasia Bianca di Basilicata (Basilicata)
- Malvasia Bianca di Candia (Lazio, Emilia-Romagna)
- Most planted Malvasia, making neutral white. In decline but still quite widely planted and blended in Central Italy. Cultivated mainly in Lazio and to a lesser extent in Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Toscana, Campania, Umbria and on Sardegna. It is prone to oxidation, thereby becoming deeper in colour and losing freshness, and the wines are often rather neutral-tasting and high in alcohol.
- Malvasia Bianca di Piemonte (California)
- Malvasia Bianca Lunga (Toscana)
- Malvasia Branca de São Jorge (Madeira)
- Malvasia de Colares (Lisboa)
- Malvasía de Lanzarote (Canary Islands)
- Malvasia del Lazio (Lazio)
- Malvasia di Candia Aromatica (Emilia-Romagna, Kríti)
- Malvasia di Casorzo (Piemonte) – BLACK
- Malvasia di Lipari (Italy, Portugal, Spain, Croatia)
- Malvasia di Schierano (Piemonte) – BLACK
- Malvasia Fina (Madeira)
- Malvasia Nera di Basilicata (Basilicata) – BLACK
- Malvasia Nera di Brindisi (Puglia) – BLACK
- Malvasia Nera Lunga (Asti) – BLACK
- Malvasia Preta (Douro) – BLACK
- Malvazija Istarska (Croatia)
Malvasia used as a synonym, of some other Primary Grape:
- Malvasia Cândida (see Malvasia di Lipari)
- Malvasia Castellana (see Síria)
- Malvasía de Sitges (see Malvasia di Lipari)
- Malvasia di Sardegna (see Malvasia di Lipari)
- Malvasia Nera di Lecce (see Malvasia Nera di Brindisi)
- Malvasia Rei (see Palomino Fino)
- Malvasija Dubrovacka (see Malvasia di Lipari)
Here are some common examples from around the wine world, with possible origins indicated:
Portugal
Malvasia Branca de São Jorge
- Synonym:
- Malmsey (Madeira)
Example: 1933 Henrique’s, “Malmsey” Madeira
Malvasia Fina
- Synonyms:
- Arinto do Dão
- Bual
- Boal
- Terrantez do Pico (Açores)
- Torrontés (Galicia)
Example: 1968 D’Oliveiras, Boal Madeira
Italy
Malvazija Istarska
- Synonyms:
- Malvasia Istriana (Northeast Italy)
“In Italy this wine is grown in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in Collio DOC and Isonzo DOC. The name comes from the Istria peninsula, which takes in parts of Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy (see also Croatian and Slovene varieties). The vine was introduced into the area by Venetian merchants who brought cuttings from Greece. Malvasia Istriana is also found in the Colli Piacentini region of Emilia, where it is used to make sparkling wine known locally as champagnino or “little Champagne”.” – Wikipedia
Example: 2017 Tenuta Stella, Malvasia, Collio DOC, Friuli-Venezia Giulia
“The emphatic white wine grape of Croatia’s Istra (Istria) peninsula. There were 466 ha in Italy in 2000, mostly in the north east, according to the agricultural census. This seems like a variety that could be of real interest elsewhere.
Varietal wines (and they usually are) vary enormously in style, from full and powerful, sometimes oaked and a little spicy, to more taut, zesty and refreshing examples, most of them having a certain lightly honeyed tang about them. They often have a slightly green cast and seem generally fresher than many other varieties with Malvasia in their name, although the alcohol can reach intrusiveley high levels.” – Jancis Robinson, Wine Grapes
Malvasia di Candia Aromatica
Example: 2008 La Stoppa, “Vigna del Volta”, Vino Bianco Passito
United States
Malvasia Bianca di Piemonte
- Synonyms:
- Malvasia Bianca
- Caccarella
Example: 2012 Birichino, “Malvasia Bianca”, Monterey, CA
“California’s Malvasia. Aromatic, tough-skinned, originally Italian. This member of the heterogeneous group of varieties known as Malvasia Something may have been mentioned near Torino in 1606 by agronomist and polymath Croce, under the name Malvasia. It was widely cultivated in Piemonte, north-west Italy, until it was replaced by Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains (known there as Moscato Bianco) after powdery mildew devastated vineyards at the end of the nineteenth century (Schneider, Mannizi and Cravero 2004). “
A few old vines of Malvasia Bianca di Piemonte can still be found in scattered vineyards in the provinces of Alessandria, Asti, Cuneo and Torino in Piemonte, Italy.
Today it is much more important in California, where it was introduced by immigrants from Piemonte under the misleading name of Malvasia Bianca. Wines here are typically dry to off-dry with floral, herbal, citrus, sometimes more tropical, aromas and flavors and a certain viscosity or oiliness on the palate. Producers of varietal wines include Ballentine in Napa, Birichino in Monterey, Palmina in Santa Ynez Valley, Kenneth Volk and Wild Horse in San Bernabe. There were 1,384 acres (560 ha) in California in 2009, mainly in Merced, Madera and San Joaquin counties in the Central Valley but also in cooler Sonoma.” – Jancis Robinson, Wine Grapes
Spain
Alarije
- Synonyms:
- Malvasia de Rioja
- Subirat Parent
- Sibirat Parent
- Rojal
- Blanca Roja
- Blanquirroja
Alarije is a very old variety from Extremadura in south-west Spain, where it was first mentioned in 1448 in the manuscript Libro de Oficios of the Real Monasterio de Santa María de Guadalupe (Asensio Sánchez 2000) as the main white variety in the area. In 1513, Gabriel Alonso de Herrera described this variety under the synonym Alarize, using the plural Alarixes (Alonso de Herrera 1790): ‘Las Alarixes son uvas que hacen las cepas altas, a manera de las Albillas … son uvsa muy bermejas, y que las abejas las comen mucho’ (‘The Alarixes are grapes that make tall vines, like the Albillos … the grapes are reddish and the bees eat them a lot’).
Although Alarije has several synonyms based on the name Malvasia, it is genetically quite distinct from the true Malvasias grown in other Spanish regions: Malvasia di Lipari (under the names Malvasía de Sitges and Malvasía Rosado) and Malvasía de Lanzarote (Rodriguez-Torres et al. 2009). – Jancis Robinson, Wine Grapes
Example: 1991 R. López de Heredia, Viña Tondonia, Rioja Gran Reserva Blanco (Malvasia / Viura Blend)
Malvasia vineyards cover 115 hectares, representing 0.23% of Denomination’s total cultivated area. Malvasía originated in Asia Minor but it was introduced into Europe early on. There are many Malvasías in the world, but these are not regarded as synonymous with the Malvasia de Rioja. Grapes are a reddish yellow when ripe, and give an interesting must, with a certain viscosity and a special bouquet. The fruit is prone to rotting. Its possibilities in Rioja are not very well-known, due to the small area cultivated.
The only internationally accepted synonym is Sibirat Parent, but in Rioja others names are used which refer to the colour of the clusters in ripening, such as: Rojal, Blanca Roja and Blanquirroja. – R. López de Heredia website
http://www.lopezdeheredia.com/english/vinedos/variedades.html
by Nick Davis
