Malvasia nera

A black berry variant of the large malvasia family, this too seems to have arrived in Italy and Western Europe from Greece. Apart from the Piedmontese expressions of Casorzo and Castelnuovo Don Bosco, the most famous black malvasia in Italy is found in Salento, where it is also called the malvasia near di Brindisi or Lecce. This malvasia is mainly used in blends with negroamaro to enrich the aromatic trousseau of Salento's dry red wines. Malvasia nera is also present in Tuscany, where it is traditionally used in Chianti blends and some reds of neighbouring denominations, such as Val d'Arno di Sopra.