Italian wine and grape guide : Malvasia Bianca di Basilicata

The white grape Malvasia Bianca di Basilicata, like other white Malvasia grapes, belongs to the family whose name Malvasia comes from a variation of Monembasia, a Byzantine stronghold rooted on the rocks of a promontory situated in the south of the Peloponnese, where sweet wines were produced and then exported throughout Europe by the Venetians with the name of Monemvasia. The wine made from this variety had become extremely popular, so much that Venice was full of taverns named Malvase, designed for its consumption. Malvasia Bianca di Basilicata is closely linked to the Basilicata region from which it takes its name and is vinified mostly in blends with other local varieties, to which it gives an acidity and aromatic fragrance. Malvasia Bianca di Basilicata is in fact one of the Malvasie aromatiche. Its white berry is small and round with waxy, green-yellow-pink skin color. The bunch is medium size, cylindrical-conical, sparse with large leaf. Malvasia Bianca di Basilicata gives a pale straw colored wine with a strong aroma and a pleasantly smooth flavor.