Italian wine and grape guide : Malvasia Nera

Malvasia Nera is a dark skinned variety within the Malvasia grape family and it is used for the production of red wines, it can produce dry, sparkling and sweet wines and also passiti and rosé wines and is widely used in blends rather than being used to produce a varietal wine. The grape is cultivated across Italy but Piedmont is the best known region for producing varietal Malvasia Nera wines whilst in Apulia, Malvasia Nera is blended with Negroamaro. The Malvasia Nera grape produces wines that are light to medium bodied with notes of cherries, plums and chocolate.