Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Malvasia di Schierano grows in the countryside
around Schierano, Castelnuovo Don Bosco, and
Pino Torinese, all situated close to Turin.
Though it can be used to make dry wines, it is
most commonly used to make the sweet DOC
wine called Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco,
truly one of Italy's greatest and least-known
wines. Named after the little town which is the
epicenter of its production, Castelnuovo Don
Bosco is also the birthplace of two famous
saints, Giovanni Bosco and Giovanni Cafasso.
The wine can be still or delicately fi zzy, and is
generally very light in alcohol (only 5.5-6 per-
cent!); effusively fruity, it's like a red-berry fruit
cocktail that is almost too delicious for words.
phologically, the three varieties resemble each
other more than they differ. Malvasia Nera di
Basilicata generally has medium-sized, com-
pact bunches, and small, round berries. It is
neither excessively vigorous nor a copious pro-
ducer, but is more resistant to common grape-
vine diseases and pests than the other
Malvasia
Nera
s. It ripens slightly later than Malvasia
Nera di Brindisi, but before the Lecce variety.
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Malvasia Nera di Basilicata's winemaking
potential is demonstrated by how well it accu-
mulates sugars (fairly easily, and more so than
Malvasia Nera di Lecce) while keeping very
high acidity levels (pHs of 3.1 to 3.2 are not rare
and total acidity levels can easily reach 8-9
grams per liter). These high acidity levels make
it very unlikely that Malvasia Nera di Basilicata
is identical to Malvasia Nera di Brindisi or Mal-
vasia Nera di Lecce, since those two are known
to be low-acid varieties. Over the years, older
farmers and home winemakers have told me
that they were always very happy to have Malva-
sia Nera di Basilicata to work with, for adding it
to any wine blend meant three things, all posi-
tive: their wine would gain in aromatic com-
plexity, potential alcohol, and total acidity lev-
els. These observations are not without interest:
they clearly tell us that Malvasia Nera di Basili-
cata may prove a variety of extreme interest in
viticultural areas with warmer climates. Unfor-
tunately, not nearly enough is known about it,
and that's a shame, especially in times of rather
worrisome climate change.
wines to try:
Without doubt, the best pro-
ducer of this wine is Gilli***. Also worth a try
are Mario Mosso**, Alle Tre Colline*, and Terre
dei Santi*.
Malvasia Nera di Basilicata
where it's found:
Basilicata.
national reg-
istry code number:
139.
color:
red.
Delicately aromatic, this now-rare variety
differs from Malvasia Nera di Brindisi and Mal-
vasia Nera di Lecce because it's more resistant
to parasites and is more tolerant of inclement
weather. It is found in the two Basilicata prov-
inces of Matera and Potenza, and though no
pure version of it is bottled, it is probably more
common that is generally believed. Farmers
have shown me the odd vine, always promiscu-
ously mixed in with Aglianico vines (and there's
often Aglianicone in those vineyards too, just to
complicate matters). I have yet to meet someone
who owns enough to make a monovarietal
wine. In the past, researchers have also found
Tempranillo grapevines in Basilicata locally
called
Malvasia Nera,
so it may be that, as in
Tuscany, at least some of Basilicata's
Malvasia
Nera
is in fact Tempranillo. Of the two, this
grape resembles Malvasia Nera di Brindisi
more, mainly because both are aromatic varie-
ties, which Malvasia Nera di Lecce is not. Mor-
wines to try:
To the best of my knowledge,
there are no monovarietal wines made with
Malvasia Nera di Basilicata.
Malvasia Nera di Brindisi
where it's found:
Puglia, Tuscany, Calabria.
national registry code number:
140.
color:
red.
As already mentioned in the introduction to
the dark-berried
Malvasia
varieties, a great deal
