Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Ampelographically, the variety is very easy
to recognize in vineyards, since it is character-
ized by large and long (twenty to twenty-fi ve
centimeters), compact, conical-cylindrical
bunches (usually with two wings) and medium-
small, round berries that though blessed with
thick skins, are less thick and resistant than
those of Trebbiano Toscano. Clearly, the mor-
phology changes somewhat depending on the
clones and biotypes observed: there are cur-
rently seven clones (R2, Cenaia 2, MBD F7-A2-
11, FEDIT 26-CH, FEDIT 27-CH, VCR 10, and
UBA-RA MV9) available to producers. Of these,
the UBA-RA MV9 clone is the only non-Tuscan
one: it was developed in Abruzzo and appears
to have very high quality, but is very sensitive to
botrytis. The FEDIT 26-CH clone is the best for
vin santo
production, since it has slightly less
compact bunches than other clones and good
botrytis resistance. In general, Malvasia Bianca
Lunga is very susceptible to peronospora, and is
none too resistant to other vine diseases either.
It grows all over Tuscany, but is found in many
other regions as well: Veneto, Marche, Lazio,
Puglia, and especially in Umbria. Interestingly,
fi ve hundred hectares are planted to it in Croatia
(where it's called Maraˇtina) and it also grows
in Greece (where it's called Pavlos).
low acidity is why we blend it with Trebbiano
Toscano.” DOC wines in which it is prevalent
(but practically never on its own) include
Bianco della Valdinievole, Colli dell'Etruria
Centrale, and Bianco dell'Empolese.
wines to try:
Pietro Beconcini** (Antiche
Vie) and I Selvatici** (Malvagia).
Vin santo
is
even better: monovarietal ones are rare, as most
producers like to add a little Trebbiano Toscano
for added acidity, but try the
Malvasia
examples
by Rocca di Montegrossi*** (they add a bit of
Canaiolo Nero) and Castello di Cacchiano**
(though they also add a bit of Canaiolo Nero
from time to time).
Malvasia del Lazio
where it's found:
Lazio.
national registry
code number:
133.
color:
white.
There are many reasons why the wines of
Lazio have a poor reputation today: the most
important is that quantity, rather than quality,
was the goal for most of the twentieth century.
Producers and some very short-sighted legisla-
tors insisted on using Malvasia Bianca di Can-
dia (and to make matters worse, Trebbiano
Toscano, a variety of
Trebbiano
not typical of
Lazio) to make once-famous Frascati and Cas-
telli Romani wines, instead of the higher-qual-
ity but lower yielding and less resistant Malva-
sia del Lazio (also called Malvasia Puntinata
because its ripe berries are covered with rusty
spots;
puntinata
means speckled in Italian).
And so Malvasia del Lazio was gradually
reduced to playing a marginal role to the not-so
dynamic duo of Malvasia Bianca di Candia and
Trebbiano Toscano. Until recently it was legally
required that Frascati, Marino, and other wines
of the Castelli Romani (the heartland of Malva-
sia del Lazio) had to be made with a minimum
70 percent of Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia
Bianca di Candia, possibly two of the worst
grapes with which to try and make quality dry
wine anywhere. The same nonsensical legisla-
tion limited the amount of Bellone and Bom-
bino Bianco, two other quality varieties, to no
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Malvasia Bianca Lunga is probably most famous
because it was an important part of the Chianti
blend as invented by Bettino Ricasoli, who felt
that the best possible Chianti recipe was seven
parts Sangiovese, two parts Canaiolo Nero, and
one part Malvasia Bianca Lunga. It is rarely
used nowadays to make Chianti (most of which
is no longer made with any white grapes, save
for the simplest, entry-level versions; Chianti
Classico eliminated it altogether from the blend
as of 2006), or even monovarietal dry whites.
But Malvasia Bianca Lunga really produces
something special in
vin santo,
on its own or
more often with Trebbiano Toscano. Franco
Bernabei, one of Italy's most famous winemak-
ers, defi nes the variety as “delicately aromatic
and gentle, slightly saline,” and says that “its
