Malvasia

There are various wines called Malvasia, usually followed by the name of the area from which they come. The Piedmontese types are red, not very alcoholic and slightly sparkling, due to the use of grapes like Freisa and Barbera or Grignolino. Malvasia di Casoro and Malvasia di Castelnuovo don Bosco are the best representatives of this wine. The others come from the islands of Sicily and Sardinia and are of a totally different nature. The Malvasia delle Lipari, from the island of that name is made with golden and yellow aromatic grapes which become amber after being dried. The resulting wine, called Passito, has a high total alcohol content and is still sweet. The Sardinian wine comes from Cagliari and is of similar nature, but straw-yellow to golden-yellow in colour. Another type called liquoroso is fortified with alcohol to 17.5%, still with a lot of sugar making it like a refined but pungent dessert wine, to be served with dry biscuits and cakes.