THE MALVASIA HISTORY

When we talk about Malvasia in Piacenza, we talk about white Malvasia di Candia aromatica, one of the 17 varieties belonging to the vast family of Malvasia (which includes white, black and pink grapes).
Among these is the most aromatic and rich in personality, united to the others only from the ancient origin and etymology of the name, which derives from the Greek town of Monemvasia or Monemvaxia, located in the island of Candia, the current Crete.Monemvasia was an important port from which wines of various origins departed (Peloponnese, Rhodes, Crete, other islands) result of withering of the grapes to the sun. Over time it became customary to call Malvasia all the wines coming from that port, so they started talking about "Malvasia" referring to wines coming from very different grapes. In the Middle Ages from Monemvasia wines destined for export departed. The ships of the Republic of Venice, in particular from the second half of the thirteenth century, carried and sold the "cretic" wine throughout the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe. The Venetians Italianized the name Monemvasia first in Malvagìa, then in Malvasia . Since then, in Venice, the taverns that sold wine from Monemvasia began to take their name from it and even today in Venice there are numerous "Calli della Malvasia" where these ancient taverns once stood. The first scholar to speak of various types of Malvasia existing in Italy was Andrea Bacci at the end of the '500. It is not known exactly when the vine arrived in the hills of Piacenza, but in the Annals of Agriculture of the Reign of Italy by Filippo Re , year 1813, Malvasia is mentioned among the local varieties. At the beginning of the 60s it is already the most cultivated white grape in the Piacenza area, covering 40% of the hectares of white grapes present in the province. Poorly spread in the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia, it still finds its best habitat in the Piacenza hills, where about 700 hectares are cultivated.

THE HISTORY OF OUR GRAPES

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