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By Manos Angelakis
Malvasia.
The volcanic Aeolian Islands we recently visited are planted, almost exclusively, with Malvasia grapes, a grape that has its roots in the ancient Mediterranean.
According to the oenologists we talked to during our trip, the grape was initially introduced to the Greek islands by the Phoenicians, and later Greek colonists and traders took vines and cuttings as far away as Sicily, Spain and the island of Madeira.
Actually, the clone Malvasia delle Lipari is supposed to be the original Malvasia, named after the village Malvazia near the Peloponnesian town of Monemvasia. Mycenaean traders cultivated grapes in the Aeolian Islands as early as 1,500 BC. The Venetians, who controlled parts of the Peloponnese, Crete, and Rhodes during the Renaissance, liked the wine of Malvazia so much they not only imported and traded that wine to mainland Italy, but also took cuttings and introduced them to Crete and the Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio and Sardinia wine regions, where the grape found a compatible climate and terroir.
Malvasia is primarily a white wine grape, but it has a number of versions, including a red one called Malvasia Nera. Presently, most varieties of Malvasia are closely related to Malvasia Bianca that grows widely throughout the world in places like Italy, the San Joaquin Valley of California, the Greek Islands of Paros and Syros, the Canary Islands, Rioja, Navarra and Croatia to name but a few major producing areas. In central Italy, Malvasia is often blended with Trebbiano to add flavor and texture to the resulting wine and in Rioja, it is blended with Macabeo to achieve the same result. Most well-known today is the Madeiran wine Malmsey (a corruption of the original Malvasia name), made from the eponymous grape - a fortified dessert wine widely exported throughout the world.
The Malvasia delle Lipari that is planted in the Aeolian Islands produces golden, perfumed, flavorful wines with aromatic hints of apricots, musk, and almonds and flavors of honey and ripe Bosc pears with a hint of ginger. We tasted samples from a number of producers and they actually run the gamut from lightweight to full-bodied, off-dry to very sweet, and low to high alcohol. Most were rich and wonderfully aromatic Passito wines i.e. after fully ripening, the grapes are dried on reed mats in the shade, prior to vinification.
Even though the varietal is called Malvasia delle Lipari (Lipari is the largest of the Aeolian Islands), the wines I liked the most were produced on Salinas Island, the second largest island in the Aeolian grouping. Malvasia grapes thrive on the volcanic soil. Drip irrigation is practiced in many of the vineyards we saw during our visit, as the island is dry and windy.
My favorite was the 2006 Passito from the Azienta Agricola Salvatore d’ Amico, a blend of 95% Malvasia and 5% Corinto Nero – a red grape varietal introduced to the island by ancient colonists from the city of Corinth. Based in the village of Malfa, Azienda Agricola Antonino Caravaglio produces another wonderful, award-winning, Malvasia delle Lipari Passito di Salina wine that I also liked. I also tasted the Malvasia wine made in Tanuta Capofaro, the vineyard surrounding the 5* Capofaro hotel (see Capofaro in Hotels & Resorts, LuxuryWeb Magazine). It belongs to the famous winemaking Tasca d’ Almerita, and they produce this wonderful wine from 5 hectares of at least 30-year old Malvasia vines.
At the recent Fancy Food Show we saw samples of Azienda Agricola Antonino Caravaglio’s being exhibited, which means that very soon these wines will be available in the US. If you like Sauternes wines, you will love these Passitos. They are a wonderful alternative.
To your health!
© July 2009 The Oenophile Blog. All rights reserved.
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