RuvidaMente
This delicious wine is the heir of an old international tradition, for the ancient and famous grape that bears the name Malvasia originated in Greece and the
Aegean islands. And it is now grown in the major part of the Mediterranean countries, on the island of Madeira and in South Africa and California. Its wine, which was once widely known in English
as Malmsey, is sweet and appealingly golden in color. The wine of Madeira is, perhaps, the most famous today.
Of extremely ancient origin, the Malvasia grape is a native of Greece. Its name, in fact, appears to be derived from the small town of Monembasia in the
extreme south of the Peloponnisos.
Marsilio Ficino, the greatest exponent of Platonism of the Renaissance, argued that a good glass of Malvasia was clearly the best remedy for the plague.
Today, the variety is found in most Mediterranean countries as well as on the island of Madeira and in South Africa and California.
In Italy, both white-grape and red-grape subvarieties of Malvasia are cultivated. And they yield table or sweet wines, depending upon the area where they are
grown and the way they are processed.
MALVASIA DI CASORZO D'ASTI
Despite its name and its geography, Lower (Basso) Monferrato has slopes exceeding 700 meters in altitude and is situated to the north of Upper Monferrato. And it is
without question the Piedmontese district where winemaking is most extesively practiced.
It is in that area, on the gentle and sunny hills around Casorzo in Asti province and in some communes in Alessandria province, that Malvasia di Casorzo is
produced.
Among the range of wines, the Malvasia di Casorzo d’Asti is one of the most highly esteemed and it is made by a complicated process. The grapes are fermented
until about a third of their sugars have been transformed into alcohol. The must is then racked, filtered and clarified. A second slow fermentation is then initiated and the refrigerated wine is
repeatedly subjected to filtration and centrifugation. The process is completed after one year and the wine is bottled.
Production zone:
In all or part of the territories of the communes of Casorzo, Vignale Monferrato, Altavilla, Ottiglio, Grazzano, Badoglio and Olivola in the provinces of Asti and Alessandria. Only hilly vineyards with appropriate slopes and exposures and with soils that are primarily clayey-calcareous in nature are suitable for production. The DOC regulations exclude vineyards in valley bottoms and plains and those that are insufficiently sunny.
MALVASIA DI CASTELNUOVO DON BOSCO
The Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco is produced in the Basso Monferrato, unquestionably the area in Piedmont where vitiviniculture is most extensively
practiced.
It is difficult to determine the confines of this vast, hilly area. In the past, there were many castles in the zone as well as flourishing economic and social centers.
Today, it is the homeland of noble wines and truffles.
The vineyards are extensively planted in Malvasia Nera, which was introduced centuries ago. It is the descendant of the Malvasia di Schierano, the
ancestor of the many different subvarieties that exist today.
The Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco is a dessert wine that should be sipped at the end of a meal. It goes extraordinarily well with pastries, ice creams and
fruits.
Production zone:
The territories of the communes of Albugnano, Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Passerano Marmorito, Pino d’Asti, Berzano and Moncucco in the province of Asti.
Only hilly vineyards with appropriate slopes and exposures and soils that are primarily clayey
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