Malvasia Bianca and Malvasia Nera originated in Crete, Greece in the 13th Century. The name Malvasia comes from the Italian name of Monemvasia, which was a Byzantine fortress, and a trading center for island wines. From there the cuttings travelled throughout the Mediterranean, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, and the island of Madeira. In the past, the name Malvasia and Malmsey could be used interchangeably. But now, Malmsey is the name used to describe sweet Madeira made with 80% Malvasia Bianca. Malvasia Bianca is related to Muscat Blanc a Petite Grains. It is very perfumy aromatic with aromas of honeysuckle with medium body with a bit of a beeswax texture. Thus, reds from the Mediterranean often have 2% Malvasia to improve the aroma and richness of the wine. When yields are cut back their flavor intensity improves dramatically.
As a dry wine with medium low acidity, it has flavors of honey, apricots, almonds and caramelized pears with a hint of nutmeg, pairing well with Moroccan cuisine or Quinoa Salad.
In Croatia it is made dry. In Tuscany, it is often blended with Sangiovese in their rosés. In Sicily and Sardinia, the grapes are dried and then pressed with the juice pouring over the skins in order to increase the golden hue and creaminess to the sweet wine. In Italy, the Malvasia Bianca is blended with Trebbiano to create a sweet Vin Santo. If you haven’t tasted Vin Santo with a Ricotta Cake or Panna Cotta Custard, you haven’t lived! This is the part about wines that I love, wherein you get to feel what it is to taste the flavors of other places. I look at the pictures of places around the world and I can imagine what it is to be there, surrounded by the architecture while playing regional music.
In Crete, the soils are mostly clay with dark rocks and limestones. They also have something called Flysch in the soil, which is unique to some coastal locations. It’s basically sedimentary rock with layers of shales and sandstones. This allows for more minerality in the soil, which increases the complexity of the resulting wine (when yields are cut back).
Malvasia Bianca and Negra are perfect to grow in SoCal. Their skins are thicker than that of Sauv Blanc or Chadonnay, so the wines won’t be as raisiny in flavor. They can handle the heat. In humid areas, it can sometimes have mildew. You can also find it in San Joaquin Valley, CA and in the plains of Texas.
Malvasia Nera/Malvasia Negra is a different grape. With regards to Pinot Nor, when the climate is warm, the grape mutates and one common mutation is Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris. I’m uncertain if Malvasia Bianca came first or Malvasia Nera. Malvasia Bianca is far more common than Malvasia Negra. Whereas with Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio/Gris, it’s the opposite. DNA proves that the two are identical. Therefore they could be either unidentical twins or a mutation. In some places the grape is called Black Malvasia. To add further confusion (remember DNA testing in grapes has only been around 25 years or so) Malvasia Nera di Brindisi and Malvasia Nera di Lecce are also genetically identical, but grown in different places resulting in different characteristics and flavor profiles. Malvasia Nera di Brindisi ripens two weeks earlier, with smaller bunches and more spicy flavor whereas Malvasia Nera di Lecce ripens later with larger bunches and is more of a work horse. There are quite a few of other Malvasias out there with different endings. Each has its own listing in the National Grape Registry. Most of these are found in warm coastal areas, west of the Apennines Mountains in Italy. All of which could do well in warm coastal areas of SoCal
Malvasia Nera is thinner skinned than Malvasia Bianca. The resulting wine is a lighter red, extraordinarily aromatic with notes of cherries, figs, plums and roasted hazelnuts. It can be found in Puglia Italy, which given similar climate in SoCal, will do well as an alternative to Grenache.
In Crete, because Malvasia Nera tends to be high in sugar, the fermentation is halted at about 5% abv. It is then bottled with a secondary fermentation in the bottle. These age well with flavors of dark cocoa and pair well with wedding cake.
Grapes like Malvasia are a chameleon because you really don’t know what you’re going to get unless you know the style produced in the town where it is grown. Different places produce both Malvasia Bianca and Nera differently. It is typically dry, unless indicated. You can tell by the % abv. The bottle shape will also give it away if it is effervescent.
drying grapes for Vin Santo
