Italian wine and grape guide : Malvasia di Schierano

The grape Malvasia di Schierano, like other black Malvasia grapes, belongs to the family whose name 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. Another document of those years quoted wine “malvaticus”, it was the Black berry Malvasia, produced in Cyprus and also marketed in the Piedmont. In 1468 in Mondonio there was the first mention of Malvasia vineyards. The vine Malvasia di Schierano is found mainly in Piedmont, with crops concentrated in the province of Turin and is the main component of Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco Doc. In wine production you can add small amounts of Freisa. The color of the wine tends to be cherry red and is generally sweet. It is also done in a lightly sparkling version and sparkling wine. The Malvasia di Schierano is one of the aromatic black Malvasia sorts, although its aroma is lower than that of Malvasia di Casorzo. The berry is black, medium-large with violet-blue skin. The cluster is medium-small, not compact, with a medium-small, pentagonal, five-lobed leaf. The vine Malvasia di Schierano has medium vigor and productivity. The grape Malvasia di Schierano gives a dark ruby red wine, with a fine and intense scent, sweet and aromatic on the palate.