Italian wine and grape guide : Malvasia Nera lunga

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 Malvasia Nera lunga is especially widespread in Piedmont. It is supplanting Malvasia di Schierano because of its greater vigor and productivity. Malvasia Nera lunga is now the most widespread in the area Castelnuovo Don Bosco and in some companies represents 100% of Malvasia. The berry is black, medium, spheroid with thick, waxy, blue-violet skin. The cluster is medium or medium-large, elongated cylindrical, usually with 1 or 2 wings sometimes well developed, medium loose with a medium, wedge-shaped, three-lobed (rarely five lobes) leaf. Compared to the Malvasia di Schierano, Malvasia Nera lunga has more content and greater fertility. It has an earlier growth-production cycle and therefore matures at least a week before the Malvasia di Schierano. The Malvasia Nera lunga grape gives a sweet and aromatic wine, with a good color and a fine and intense fragrance.